Project 31: Day 9

Journal~Day 9:

 

A) Began the tedious task of sewing the heart and star ornaments.


B) I've been receiving "Read the Catechism in A Year" emails (shhh... more often than not, I don't read them and just delete them unopened). This one caught my attention though and has been the center of much meditation for me:   (holistic, contemplation)

 

 

338 Nothing exists that does not owe its existence to God the Creator. The world began when God's word drew it out of nothingness; all existent beings, all of nature, and all human history are rooted in this primordial event, the very genesis by which the world was constituted and time begun.

339 Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection. For each one of the works of the "six days" it is said: "and God saw that it was good." "By the very nature of creation, material being is endowed with its own stability, truth and excellence, its own order and laws." Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a ray of God's infinite wisdom and goodness. Man must therefore respect the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of things which would be in contempt of the Creator and would bring disastrous consequences for human beings and their environment.

340 God wills the interdependence of creatures. The sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the sparrow: the spectacle of their countless diversities and inequalities tells us that no creature is self-sufficient. Creatures exist only in dependence on each other, to complete each other, in the service of each other.

341 The beauty of the universe: the order and harmony of the created world results from the diversity of beings and from the relationships which exist among them. Man discovers them progressively as the laws of nature. They call forth the admiration of scholars. the beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire the respect and submission of man's intellect and will.

344 There is a solidarity among all creatures arising from the fact that all have the same Creator and are all ordered to his glory: May you be praised, O Lord, in all your creatures, especially brother sun, by whom you give us light for the day; he is beautiful, radiating great splendour, and offering us a symbol of you, the Most High. . .

May you be praised, my Lord, for sister water, who is very useful and humble, precious and chaste.
May you be praised, my Lord, for sister earth, our mother, who bears and feeds us, and produces the variety of fruits and dappled flowers and grasses. . .
Praise and bless my Lord, give thanks and serve him in all humility.

 

~~~~BROTHER SUN~SISTER WATER~SISTER EARTH~~~~
I like that....



 



Project 31: Journal Day 8

Journal~Day 8:

A) Esther responded back by email with raw milk link:  (buy local, whole foods)

• www.realmilk.com -contains directory of local cowshare farms
• Also highly recommended this site for healthy eating/living www.westonaprice.org

Note: At our last Waldorf Meetup group, the other moms and I

were discussing unpasteurized milk and where to get it.

After our hike in the woods, we've been going back to Esther's farm house

and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate made with the raw milk she gets. Delicious!

 

B) Facebooked Mary about where she used to get her fresh milk, wanting a farm that came recommended and trusted.

• They got theirs from Hedgebrook Farm- www.hedgebrook.com ; group share instead of private share, so would need to rotate pickup amongst 6 families :(  would prefer to responsible for my own milk. Celeste's milk pickup is the same way and I wasn't really interested in that model.
• 1 gallon of milk a week
• One time fee of $60 for share; one time fee of $20 for jars & lids; monthly boarding fee of $28. Money collected quarterly
• Works out to be about $5.25/gallon (after the one time fees of course)

C) Made grilled ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch with the homemade bread I made on Day 6. There's a sense of pride in using/eating something you made yourself. I tell you, I was walking a little taller and feeling all puffed up, lol :) (healthy, homemade)

 

Note: Our day 6 bread making.

The 2 loaves on the left were made by scratch by my 9 year old daughter, Anna,

without ANY assistance. They're a honey wheat. Pretty awesome, huh?!

She's got more skills than I did at her age, that's for sure.

 The one on the one right was mine~ a simple wheat bread recipe

from Laural's Kitchen cookbook. Attempt one in making this bread.

***I felt so proud using MY homemade that I made myself. I was all puffed up**

D) Began making heart and star Christmas ornaments from old fabric. (sewing, handmade, resourceful)

Note: Fabric from my baby quilt and Kittens in a Basket.
 It's the fabric that keeps on giving :)
 
E) Continued worked on Christy's wool felt baby booties, began embroidery designs.
 
F) Husband brought home the beeswax and honey! (local, small business, organic)
Note: One of the ladies at my husband's work has a little side business beekeeping:
Lunsford Bee Farm. At our Waldrolf Group on Monday we will be making
 hand dipped beeswax candles!!




 

Project 31: Day 7

So I explained yesterday what Project 31 was. My year of reinventing my life towards a healthy, more conscious, self-sustaining, and holistic lifestyle. Working towards that end little by little, day by day, piece by piece. I not only want to learn the "how" of these things but also to know the "why". So it's a year of hands and head--and as with everything I strive for heart~contemplation, being present to God and to the moment. Out of all my endevours for this coming 31st year of life that will be the hardest, yet the one I most aspire and hope to attain.

Here's the page from my journal~ Day 7:

A) Continued work on Christy's wool felt Christmas booties. (objective: sewing skills, made by hand, resourceful)

 

Side Note: Started these on Day 5.

The wool was felt left over from an unfinished puppet my daughter was

making for one of our Waldorf Group activity days.

I am using Simplicty Pattern 2867 from my old stash of patterns.

 

 



B) Researched freezing vegetables such as potatoes so I can start reducing the amount of frozen veggies I buy in the frozen food section of the grocery store. (Unprocessed, healthy, whole foods)

•  Site I visited: here

C) Learned about blanching vegetables, from the same site above, and the importance to the preserving process. (Learning to can/preserve foods)

• Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) is a must for almost all vegetables to be frozen. It stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture. Blanching cleanses the surface of dirt and organisms, brightens the color and helps retard loss of vitamins. It also wilts or softens vegetables and makes them easier to pack.  Blanching time is crucial and varies with the vegetable and size. Underblanching stimulates the activity of enzymes and is worse than no blanching. Overblanching causes loss of flavor, color, vitamins and minerals. Use one gallon water per pound of prepared vegetables. Put the vegetable in a blanching basket and lower into vigorously boiling water. Place a lid on the blancher. The water should return to boiling within 1 minute, or you are using too much vegetable for the amount of boiling water. Start counting blanching time as soon as the water returns to a boil. Keep heat high for the time given in the directions for the vegetable you are freezing.