Jennifer's Junky Life ~

Organizing, Purging, Garage Sales

I love January about as much as I love Mondays. And that's a whole lot! It's a new start. A new beginning. And I always think it's a great time to organize and rejuvenate the home.

I've been going through the sitting room this past week, when time allows, and have been purging the kid's toys. Our sitting room is an open room adjacent to our living room and until the basement gets finished off, it's also the kid's toy room/play room - and it's been a cluttered mess for some time.

{Photo from last fall - dreaming of spring.}

We don't have a toy box. Since we moved in, over four years ago, the kid's toys have been in a cardboard box and little things like Legos, toy cars and trucks, animals, etc... have been sorted into vintage containers (metal tool boxes, wire baskets and bins, and the likes) but they're all just sitting on the floor and look like a jumbled mess even when everything is sorted in the right place.

I can't wait until we have some shelving in the basement where we can sort these bins to keep them more organized. It's a goal this year - along with finishing the laundry room (adjacent to the kitchen) and working on the boy's room which is sealed off to the inside of the house but open to the wind.

I got rid of all of our (modern) Fisher Price Little People at Christmas time. We had a lot of them but I've never liked the style of them. I'm so partial to the vintage ones, which I collect, so I gave them to my sister and my sister-in-law for their kids.

I'm giving all of our old plastic tools to my sister who lives here and I'm still wondering why we need as many toys as we have! - yet I don't know what else to get rid of because it seems like everything else actually gets played with. Except the Barbies. Nikayda has never played with them that much, probably because she's never had a sister. My sisters and I spent hours playing house with ours.

I brought a lot of stuff to the thrift last summer when I was going through stuff but now I've started sorting things in boxes and setting them aside because I would rather have a garage sale than bring everything there. It's been a few years since I've had one and it's such a great way to earn a little cash - so I can turn around and use it for thrifting and garage saling. It's just that I'm not sure how ambitious I'll feel this year with a new little one. I guess it will all depend on whether she's a good baby (like Nikayda) or a fussy one (like the boys). And this time around, I'll have a willing ten year old to help me out so it might be fine.

Animal Hair

Something on my mind...

I don't have pets.

At least, not the kind that live in the house. So, it can feel a little discouraging to receive things in the mail that look relatively 'clean' but have animal hair on them.

I order from Etsy and Ebay fairly often. Lately, three out of five things that I ordered arrived with animal hair on them. (And, to be honest, with all the times I've ordered on-line, it really doesn't happen that often but...) It's such a turn-off. It feels unprofessional to me when someone sends out products that have hair on them. Not just one or two accidental strands... Granted, they're not completely covered in hair but enough that you would notice when you're sending out your package.

It's not worth noting in my feedback - at least, I haven't. But I definitely think items should arrive without it.

I was window shopping on Etsy today and came across a pretty vintage blanket. So I clicked on the link to the item and all of the other photos had a big greyish-black, long haired cat sprawled over the blanket.

No thanks.

I have nothing wrong with people keeping pets but after seeing the pictures, I didn't bother to read the description or add the item to my favorites even though I really liked it from the first photo. All I could think of is how much black cat hair would be on it if I ordered it. And that can be a tricky thing to get out of a woven blanket.

(Speaking from experience...)

Down on the {Hobby} Farm...

Our neighbors are organic pork farmers and we love their pork but they have decided to quit the pork business. Their pork was so good, too! The best.

Mark has talked about raising our own for a couple of years. So we bought a couple of hogs from them. Then they got loose within two days and one of them had a heart attack when Mark and his friend went and caught her. So she died and now we're down to just one. Ironically, the only one we actually named.

Her name is Rose (above, left). And now it's getting really hard to say we don't live on a farm... what with six Nigerian Dwarf goats, a pig, two+ dogs, and 15 chickens.

Life is good. Except when the goats think they can just free-range all over the yard. (Read: goat droppings everywhere. Not.cool.with.me. The chicken sh*t is bad enough.) So, this spring our number one priority is to fix up the electric fence that the goats are supposed to stay inside of. Especially when there will be a bunch more added to the herd. The three females are all pregnant - and one is so large she's probably carrying triplets. (She's had them before.)

We have about an acre fenced off for them - plenty of space to roam and "free-range"! But they learned how to crawl under the wire on part of the fence and that was that. They tasted freedom and they loved it. Now since the fence is broken in a few sections (possibly from deer running into it) it's not working at all and the goats just step right over the bottom wire and in between the others to go back and forth as they please.

I'm a city slicker and I'm still wondering how this happened...

The funniest part is, I don't mind it (for the most part). The animals are all pretty fun and entertaining to watch. I just really, really struggle with the droppings all over the yard because they get tracked into the entryway. I have a strict, no-shoes-allowed-in-the-house, policy and everyone follows it, except the occasional company, but I still don't like it getting in at all. It drives me insane. And as we progress to make a real yard with grass around here, things will need to change. drastically. I would even like to keep the chickens fenced in somehow - but not sure how yet because it's more important to me that they continue to free-range.

Three Things I've Learned About Heartburn...

A rambling post about heartburn with a little goal at the end... The entire reason I shouldn't do a post when I'm tired (because I tend to ramble).

I get heartburn with every pregnancy. And all three of my kids, so far, have been born with a head full of hair - whether there is any real connection with that or not, I'm not sure... But I think that I'm finally learning how to combat it...

I haven't really drank coffee (other than an occasional Starbucks Caramel Macchiato, once or twice a year) for over four years. (I drank it through every other pregnancy except this one.) I quit in 2007 because I was drinking way too much and I was getting heart palpitations from it. So I just quit cold-turkey. I switched to tea and never looked back.

Source.

Well, at Christmas time, while we spent the holiday with my family in Michigan, I drank coffee. I had one cup almost every day. And I got heartburn for the first time in this pregnancy. So I quit drinking it a couple of days before we left and I haven't had any since and the heartburn almost went away.

I've noticed that if I really watch my meal portions, especially at suppertime, I have far less incidences of heartburn, as well - and especially if I make sure not to eat a couple of hours before I go to bed.

But the biggest thing that I contribute to helping rid myself of heartburn this pregnancy (because I think I finally have it mostly under control) is eating viili before I go to bed every night. It doesn't seem to matter when as long as it's within an hour or less of when I go to lie down. (For anyone new popping in here, viili is Finnish - it's a yogurt-like cultured food. I make a new batch of it several times a week. I like mine plain with just a little scoop of flavored organic yogurt mixed in so it has some flavor to it.)

I'm thrilled about this discovery because with all three of my other kids, I had to take Zantac nearly every day for the last trimester because if I didn't, I couldn't sleep at night. (And if you've stopped by before, you probably know how much I prefer natural remedies/medicine over conventional stuff.)

I started eating viili in December and I don't think it's a coincidence that this is the first winter where I went over a month without being sick. (I just caught a cold at the end of last week but it's clearing up now.) And up until then I was constantly catching colds and getting sick. I normally get sick all winter long. I constantly have a cold or cough or something. But I contribute the lack of colds in the past month to eating viili two to three times a day.

The goal... Way back last summer, I made a goal for myself to start sewing this winter. I have only used my sewing machine a few times over the past nine years or so and it's something I've always wanted to do. (I can't believe I've had it that long and used it so rarely when I appreciate handmade things so much.) I see so many fun projects out there and I have way too much vintage fabric for a girl who doesn't sew! So, it's high-time I start learning.

I don't have very many 1960's prints yet but they're my favorite. I love the bold colors and floral patterns of the 60's. Especially blues and greens. Today, I bought myself 5 1/2 yards of the fabric you see in the photo from a shop on Etsy. I can't wait to get it!

I've been wanting to make a slipcover for my couch ever since I thrifted it a few years ago. I want to use fabrics that clash-match so I haven't decided if I'll use this fabric for part of that since it's a good amount of it or for something else like curtains, a dress, throw pillows, or a slipcover for one of the ottoman stools I have floating around here... We'll see. But my goal is to test out my sewing machine in February and March.

Once I learn how to oil it and thread it again.

Etsy Favorites :: Lil Cleo

eta: Heather from Lil Cleo has just offered my readers a 10% discount off of their first order if they mention that they saw this post! Thanks Heather! :) end of edit.

I just realized that the last few posts have been about food, how about something else? I love sharing my favorite Etsy shops and items I find on Etsy.

So, a while back I was on the hunt for pretty receiving blankets and came across an Etsy shop, Lil Cleo, with some great colors!

After emailing with the shop owner of Lil Cleo, Heather, who also happens to be from Minnesota, I decided to order several blankets for our baby girl. I ordered four different colors, aqua, turquoise, dark pink, and purple, and I can't wait to wrap her up in them!

These blankets are a nice, soft stretchy jersey knit - perfect for swaddling your newborn. All of the edges are serged (above) to give them a nice, finished look. And as a girl who loves colors, I was thrilled about the bright color selection! The size is really nice on them, too. You will have plenty of room for wrapping up your baby.

Three of the blankets I received are the standard jersey knit and one of them, the dark purple, (see photo above for fabric comparison) is a very light-weight jersey knit which will be perfect for a light covering for the baby or a nursing cover up in the summer time!

Lil Cleo also offers many other baby related items. I received a pretty pacifier clip with my order, and like the blankets, it was very well made. Check out her shop for cute little hats (I love this one!), pacifier clips, crocheted toys, burp cloths, bibs, car seat signs, clothing, as well as a few items for moms, and many other great items! I know you will love whatever you order! These items would be great for your baby but they'd also make awesome gifts.

I brought my blankets home to Michigan at Christmas time to share them with my sisters. If any locals are interested and would like to see them, let me know. I'd be happy to show them to you, as well!

A Good Day to Bake

eta: The french bread was a keeper! It was nice and crusty with a soft center. So good...! And, the Sweet Orange Buns are to.die.for. Next time, I will reduce the sugar, though, as there was way too much sugar in the filling and it almost dries out your mouth. The filling also bubbled over and spilled into the oven while it was baking - so it would be better to reduce it anyway. I reduced the butter in the filling, as well, when I made them but would reduce it further next time. We don't eat that much sugar or butter in our bakery anymore and I normally cut the sugar by half or nearly by half when I bake - but I didn't want to tweak these too much until I'd tried the original recipe first. Everyone loved them! end of edit.

It was almost -30° overnight. Winter is finally here! And I'm enjoying nothing more than hunkering down in a warm house with a nice little fire burning in the wood stove.

Source and recipe.

I decided to bake some Sweet Orange Buns today. Been wanting to try the recipe (above - I substituted 1 c. whole wheat flour in my recipe) since I came across it in my recent issue of Saveur magazine. They take 6+ hours to rise in the fridge so they're in there and will be ready for the oven this evening. Can't wait to try them. The filling that goes in them is divine! If that's any indication of how the buns will taste... man! Here is hoping.

Actually, I'm really crossing my fingers that we'll like them. I would love to have more roll options. The only one that we all love around here is this one and I would love to have more choices when it comes to sweet rolls.

I'm also working on a batch of bread. A new recipe, A French Bread. And as I'm sitting here, it's just about finished with the first rising and I'm afraid it's about to spill over my mixing bowl! I've made two different recipes in the past couple of years - and we liked them both but I'm still looking for 'the' one.

I love homemade bread. Is there anything better? I make it pretty often, but not necessarily every week. We don't eat sandwiches that often. Things changed pretty drastically when Carter was a baby and was diagnosed with severe peanut allergy.

That's really what snowballed me into making bread regularly (or fairly regularly) in the first place. We had been purchasing our bread from our local baker but he had an allergic reaction due to cross-contamination so I started making my own. I love that I know exactly what's in it and I can use all organic ingredients.

Incidentally, he's been reaction free for some time but he broke out in hives three times at my mom & dad's house over Christmas. Nerve wracking, to say the least... I don't know if it'll ever get 'easier' for me when that happens. I just get so worried that it will be worse than just hives - so far, we've been lucky. Only hives, and Benadryl has given him relief.

My family has been so awesome about his peanut allergy from the very beginning and they have never had peanut butter out or peanut butter bakery while we are there. They're very cautious about it and it means a lot.

We figured out it was probably because of peanut oils/peanut butter residue on some toys that had been played with by his little cousins who eat peanut butter (it was invisible - but there, nonetheless). We also figured out that one incident was due to one of my brothers... He had eaten peanut butter fudge and hadn't washed his hands after eating it, before coming over one night and was playing with Carter and his new remote control helicopter that he'd gotten for Christmas. An innocent mistake but a good reminder of how cautious we need to be with him!

He is super sensitive and no matter how much we do to protect him, there will always be reactions. All we can do is the best we can and to hope for the best every time.

Veleauu :: Fruit Soup or Berry Sauce

I made Veleauu today. The word is Finnish (pronounced something like fell-ee-ah), and I'm not sure if I have the spelling correct (any Finns out there who can verify that...?) but it's basically a 'fruit soup' or berry sauce. And I've often had is served over ice cream. It also tastes great plain or over french toast, waffles, pancakes and desserts.

(Hot off the stove.)

I'm sure there are many recipes out there but this is the one that I had in my box. Although, I don't think I've ever made it before. It's from my mom's recipe box - and I believe it came from one of my cousins on my dad's side of the family. It's quick and easy and delicious!

Veleauu

4 c. berries (I used: 1 c. tiny wild blueberries, 1 c. raspberries and 2. c. strawberries, diced up - all were frozen. I let them thaw for awhile with the sugar first.)

1 c. sugar (I used 1/2 c.)

2 c. water

3 T cornstarch

Combine the berries and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring. In a separate bowl dissolve cornstarch in water and add to berry mixture in saucepan. Bring the mixture back to a boil and stir until thickened. Serve warm.

It seems like most of the veleauu that I've had before has also had rhubarb in it. I'd planned to throw some into mine but completely forgot until it was already at the first boil. So, next time!

Which may be sooner than anticipated...

I managed to spill almost all of it on the floor and the curtains and shelves under my counter while I was putting it away! What a waste! The jar slipped while I was filling it and only about a cup of it remained in the jar after it fell. The shelves under the peninsula haven't been painted yet so now there is a nice big berry stain on them. Hopefully, we can paint over it this summer.

At least we were all able to enjoy a bowl of it, including Mark when he got home from work, before the big spill. It was so good. I haven't had it since I was a kid and had forgotten how much I liked it! Mark was asking about it recently so I thought I'd whip some up. He said it reminds him of eating it in our Calumet (MI) church when he would visit up there when he was a kid.

Meal Planning

My sisters, my mom, and I have started weekly meal planning. We each come up with our own menu for the week and share it through email. We started last week. This is our second week and I'm loving that we're finally doing this.

(The winter sun is my favorite! And we get a lot of it out here in Minnesota.)

A few of us have talked about doing this for months (maybe longer - I've been wanting to do this for years but never have). Sharing our meals is such a fun way to give one another dinner ideas, as well.

We're only doing suppers at this point but I like that it's getting me into a little preplanning. Last week felt like it went so smooth when I knew what we were having for supper every night instead of getting to 4:00 or 5:00 and panicking because I don't know what we're going to eat that night. (Below: The kids helping to  make pierogies with leftover mashed potatoes from a chicken dinner. We all love pierogies* - even our picky eater.)

I'm trying to keep my meals simple at this point. a.) Because I'm taking this month to try to do a lot of purging and organizing around here, and b.) Because I'm pregnant and that means I'm all about simple and quick right now!

(Sunday afternoon, playing guitar. I love listening to him sing and play guitar. It was one of the things I missed most about him being out in North Dakota, a year ago - I'm still appreciating that he's able to be here this winter. We try not to take it for granted.)

*I may be all about simple right now, but... I suppose pierogies are far from simple. They're like pasties. They take hours to assemble and cook. After assembling them, I boil ours first for about 5 minutes per 5-8 pierogies. Strain them in a colander and then crisp them up in the cast iron skillet using some safflower oil, which has to be done in batches, as well - but they're so worth it! We like them served with caramelized onions. I use this dough recipe but I use safflower oil in place of the vegetable oil and substitute 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour for the white - and I do two individual batches of the dough for us - which gives us a lot of leftovers.

Storage Furniture

As some of you know, we built our house (intentionally) without closets. While I don't regret that decision, it's been a great challenge trying to keep things organized while waiting to accumulate vintage cupboards and cabinets.

Source.

We have retro metal dressers for our master bedroom, but they've been sitting in the basement for four or five years waiting to be painted... So all of our clothes are in piles on our floor or in plastic Sterilite containers. (And, admittedly, it kind of drives me crazy... There is a reason I talk about organization on here a lot - I dream of living in an organized house!)

My main goal this year when it comes to thrifting and garage saling (and possibly Craigslist, which is a little more difficult in this rural area) will be to start looking for storage solutions. Preferably mid-century retro components.

Source.

I have quite a few metal cupboards and cabinets. And my dear husband, who claims he doesn't always love my junk addiction, continues to bring home white mid-century metal kitchen cupboards when he finds them (free) at our local dump. Which I love! But I'm also hoping to start collecting something in warmer tones such as the pieces in these photos.

Source.

This week, he found a kitchen cupboard (below) that was in excellent condition, minus the missing 'counter'. I was thrilled! ("Excellent", barring the surface rust on the inside base, as well.) We're hoping to start working on my laundry room, which is right off the kitchen this winter before the baby arrives. It will go perfectly in there.

He'll build a wooden counter and I'll either paint the counter or decoupage it in wallpaper or some other vintage paper.

Since this winter has been so mild (up until the past day or two), he's been working on siding the back of the house which has remained unsided these past few years. It'll feel good to finally have that done - and maybe some year we'll even get around to painting it!

He recently found a huge door at the dump (above) that I absolutely love. And if it's not too large to work for our front door, we're hoping to fix it up and put it there. I would love to finally have a front door that I'm crazy about. (I like the one we have, that he changed out last year (also from the dump, or a job he did), but it isn't the one I'd choose if I could.) The one he just found this week is exactly what I've had in mind since we built the house! And, I think it needs to be fire engine red, or dark pink, or bright yellow or something equally as fun.

Feeling Alive

I've missed blogging. I love the connections it brings and I love the idea sharing and inspiration that I get from fellow bloggers.

Source.

(Crochet pattern available thru link. I want to learn how to crochet just so I can make this!)

I've been feeling great for weeks now (after that bout of hyperemesis at the beginning of my pregnancy). I'm appreciating every day lately! That's not to say I haven't had to combat a little heartburn with viili (A Finnish yogurt like food) and yogurt. And that my growing belly doesn't get in the way more often than not. And that I don't miss being able to easily reach my feet - but those are all normal things while being pregnant. So, I'm trying to enjoy every second right now.

Source. (Pink Suede Moccasins available thru link.)

The biggest thing for me, and something I've been very open about as an advocate for depression, is that I've been feeling so good mentally. If you're new here, I had moderate-severe Antepartum and Postpartum depression with my second and third children. So, to say I was anxious about that when I found out I was pregnant this time, is an understatement. I was so excited to finally be pregnant, but nervous just the same. But making it to nearly 27 weeks now and feeling this good mentally, my hopes are so much higher that things will be different this time. (All of the winter sunshine we get out here in Minnesota really helps a lot, too!)

Source. (Moon Dream Mobile available thru link.)

Having learned to be open about mental health and surrounding myself with a great support system of family, friends and a local chiro. who has helped tremendously with it has made a world of difference. That, and switching our diet over, in the past several years, to an all-natural/organic, mostly whole foods diet and cutting out refined sugars and processed chemicals.

In the past year, I was also able to finally convert our household cleaners and toiletries as well. (Although, admittedly, I still use a couple of strong chemical cleaners because I feel like nothing else works as easily for the lime build up we get here... We're hoping to eventually get a water softener and Reverse Osmossis... but all in time...)

Source. (Love these burp cloths made with vintage fabrics!)

I have slight OCD, so it was a snowball effect for me from the start when I started converting to natural/organic living. Once I start something, I jump in head first and get obsessed. And the more I learn about the chemicals in our environment and in our food, the more I want to do to make a difference, as small as that difference can feel sometimes.

Resolution Free

I've been without my photos since last September because of the whole Picasa fiasco that came about last summer. Last night, I finally uploaded all of the photos from my memory card onto the dreaded Picasa3 which I'd downloaded onto my laptop. - Dreaded because it messed up all of my other photos from years and years. They're still on my PC but I can't get them back to Picasa3 on my PC. And I've since learned via the Picasa forums that it's a pretty common problem... But I'm a creature of habit, so I'm using it again because it's comfortable and familiar to me... until I decide to purchase some photo editing software or something.

I've been in serious organizational/redecorating mode around here. I had to take a pause yesterday because of a certain birthday because the birthday boy had all kinds of things I needed to bake for his birthday. (My kids get to pick all three meals plus their cake, brownies in this case, on their birthdays. So, it was a busy day on my feet. I spent nearly the entire day in the kitchen. Which I enjoy - but I'm anxious to get back to purging so I can redecorate around here for the New Year.)

I'm calling this organizational mode - but I suppose with less than 3 months to go until this baby is due, it could also be some form of nesting.

This winter has been unseasonably warm for most parts of the country - and especially for this part of Minnesota where it's not unusual to see subzero temps most of the winter. It's been in the 30°'s for weeks - and we've even had warm 40° and 50° days.

I love winter. I love the snow but not the cold. But even with the lack of snow this winter, I'm still enjoying it! It's so nice to be able to run errands with the kids with nothing more than a sweatshirt on. I'm not missing the blustery winds and freezing temps. And even if they come eventually, I'm just thankful that we've made it this far without them!

I don't know what it is, probably these 'balmy' temps but this is the first winter in a long time that I'm actually anxious for spring to come. I'm really looking forward to it this year (and I normally am content with winter because it's one of my favorite seasons). Mark and Nikayda beg to differ - they both tell me it's just because I'm so excited for this baby to arrive. haha. :)

I started painting the baby's dresser red this winter but now I've changed my mind. So now I need to do a double coat of primer before I paint it again! I'm not overly excited about having a bright pop of red in our bedroom. So I think I'll go with something softer like mint green or something down those lines...

This week, I'm planning to purge all of our toys. I've needed to do it since my kids were toddlers. I've always felt they have way too many toys. And I've wanted to get rid of all of their plastic toys for years - except the Legos and vintage Little People. And although it's months away, it's time to start preparing for baby-proofing around here!

There is nothing like a New Year to get your motivation in high gear for those sorts of things!

(P.S. I need to figure out my camera and Picasa all over again. And my laptop screen colors/light are really faded so I have no idea how to edit my photos to make them look right. So, I guess I need to figure out how to adjust the screen on here, as well! Not enough time today, so I'm just posting two pictures. Have a great day!)