adventures in homemaking-cinnamon rolls from scratch

i got up early this morning, since i had been lying awake in bed for a bit, and decided to make homemade cinnamon rolls (something i've been thinking about for a few days). now that the mornings are so cool (it was below 50 degrees F this morning!), i thought perhaps fresh, warm cinnamon rolls and a nice cup of kona coffee would be nice.

my parents, several years ago, gave me a wonderful bread machine as a birthday gift. i've tried my best to take good care of it so that it will last, and it has. the little booklet of bread recipes and baking hints also has a section for desserts and jams. the cinnamon roll recipe is quite good; i've tried it before and was delighted with not only the results, but the ease of the process and the sense of accomplishment and provision for my family. so i decided to bake another batch this morning.

while waiting for the dough to mix and rise (what a lovely gift, that bread machine!), i noticed our neighbor's chickens were outside the kitchen door, pecking somewhate dolefully in the not-very-warm morning sun. so i went outside and threw them a few handfuls of the birdseed i keep on the back porch by the small, portable greenhouse. the hen who was laying an egg each day on the front porch between the grey rockingchair's slats, as stopped and i wonder if that signals the approach of contiuous cooler (and cold) weather. either that or her owners wised up and began keeping the chickens more up at their coop. either way, we enjoyed receiving 13 eggs from her over the span of a week or so; and it was so convenient to step out onto the porch in the morning and gather (if i can use that verb for just one egg) the egg.

the dogwood tree in the back pasture is in the middle of changing its leaves; because of the drought, the leaf color should be rather spectacular this Autumn! how i'm looking forward to that; i always enjoy gathering and pressing leaves to use for cards and other decorating / embellishing ideas. there is a gingko tree not far from the cottage that i want to visit to get some of its astonishing yellow leaves. and along with leaf changing, there is also the fall baking to look forward to, of which the cinnamon rolls are the forerunner! i'm thinking of the spices i need to restock-cinnamon, pumpkin spice, nutmeg, cloves and of the hot beverages i want to begin serving-wassail (non-alcoholic), cider, hot chocolate, hot herbal teas (with sourwood honey)!

the cats have also been friskier-than-normal, which means i have to be extra vigilant about papers lying about (V enjoys running through any paper pile, scattering it and then chewing on selected ones). i'm also hoping that they will again keep catching mice through the colder months, as that is a great help in keeping the mice out of our cottage.

after the dough was done, i turned it out of the machine onto a lightly floured surface to begin rolling it out into a rectangle. once satisfied with its shape, i spread butter on the side facing up and sprinkled liberal amounts of cinnamon and sugar onto it. next, beginning at one of the long sides, i rolled the dough making certain to pinch the ends shut. next i cut it into (fairly) even pieces, placing these in a pre-greased baking dish. then i waited for the rolls to double in size and then popped them into the oven (375 for ~ 25 minutes). i also made the 'frosting', from combingin one cup of powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp of vanilla and 2 tbsp of water. i'm hoping they'll be done baking soon, as i am excited to see how they turn out!

saturday-preparation day

it's been a while since i've posted here and there have been some changes. the garden has been having a tough time due to the lack of rain and water restrictions (and, to be honest, the lack of attention from the resident gardeners). however, we are still getting some eggplants, peppers, squash and okra; there are also some baby pumpkins! i've been trying to weed and water when i can, in between sorting through possessions to sell, take to the thrift store or throw away (a never-ending task, it seems).

the weaving is going much, much better than it was earlier in the summer. i think that's in part due to a shift in my attitude; as Autumn approaches, i can feel a quickening inside me. i think Autumn is my favorite time of year, with Winter a close second (then Spring and then Summer). i do have to say that i missed having at least one good, solid snow-fall this past Winter and i'm already hoping and praying for such for this one! but back to the weaving; i finished an order for the gallery where i have some of my things and took it over. they're a nonprofit organization and August plus the financial situation 'round the country wasn't too nice to them. so the director let me know that payment may be a bit later than normal. so that got me thinking...

i do enjoy having my handwovens in a local gallery and i'm committed to supporting this gallery as a nonprofit and its role in the regional arts community; so i'm not going to stop taking orders from them! however, another venue through which to sell would be wonderful. so i'm taking another look at using etsy. i still haven't made a decision, but if i do open up a store, i'll post a link to it from here (and vice-versa). i've got to take some decent pictures of my items, to start with. my camera isn't top-of-the-line, but it was free and i'm very thankful to have it and to be able to take digital images. i just need to figure out how to maximze its capabilities.

we are also being blessed with 'free' free-range eggs from our neighbor's chickens. they have decided to hang out in our yard and lay eggs on our front and back porches; never very many but still, free eggs! i think we've collected six in a week. they're funny animals and the cats enjoy watching them through the windows. yesterday i actually heard one of them sneeze; how many people can say they've heard a chicken sneeze?

today i've been busy with cleaning the house and then trying to plan an afternoon activity, or rather pick an activity from the many on my list that need to be done or started or advanced. an order of yarn came in the mail today for some placemats that one of my mom's coworkers ordered; so i need to dress the loom for them soon. i'm looking forward to tomorrow as a day of resting, relaxing, renewing and contemplation.

things have been busy here at the cottage, so i've not been online or posting very much at all lately. the garden is in full swing, with blooms on many of our plants (except for the tomatoes; they're having problems) and the herbs we've planted are thriving (although i'll have to stop picking leaves off the catnip for a bit, much to the disappointment of three kitties). weaving is coming along well, with a new warp in the process of being wound on and an order from the gallery in the wings as well.

the things i've been struggling with, though, are heavy. i've been at a loss lately in terms of faith and have really felt dry and parched in my committment to Christ. i should confess that i've not helped myself very much in this area; instead of praying more, being more vigilant about avoiding known temptations and calling on a few trusted friends for prayer/advice, i've been just moping and wallowing in despair and dallying with temptation wherever i've come across it (and, yes, sometimes i've actively sought it out). i would like to write that my faith, perseverence and pray are increasing and strengthening, but i don't know that they are. for today, however, i'm making a conscious effort to turn to the LORD, in confession, in petition, in praise...in faith.

it's a good thing that i'm not too terribly afraid of questioning beliefs and having doubts; i went through such an incredibly intense period of that during my late teens/entire twenties that i'm sure God got tired of me obsessing over the same issues for literally years. thankfully, He used that time to gently guide me into new ways of thinking based on His Word (renewing the mind, anyone?) that otherwise i would've laughed off as stupid (yes, i was young and arrogant even though i was confused. now the 'young' has disappeared and just left 'arrogant'!)

there are some blogs i've bookmarked specifically to help me through tough times, either from external persecution (from misunderstanding, well-meaning people) or from internal doubts; these fall into two different groups: gentle blogs and right blogs. the two categories are not mutually exclusive; the gentle blogs are homemaker blogs that address practical issues, as well as marriage ups-n-downs and spiritual ones, too. the right blogs give rebuttle to feminist arguments, with the theology and Scripture behind the answers clearly made plain. both sets of blogs are used by God in my life to encourage me to press on towards the goal.

preparation day

"She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands." Proverbs 31:13

saturday, filled with chores and preparation for the LORD's day...we planted the sweet peppers, muskmelons, bee balm and some basil seedlings. in the flats of seeds we planted earlier in the week, some seedlings are already showing. i'm hoping for a quite a few herb seedlings as well. cleaning today includes the bathroom, changing out the linens, washing several loads of clothes, vacuuming/sweeping, taking out the trash and working in the garden (with dishes and food preparation, of course). if everything goes fairly smoothly, there may be time for some weaving in the early afternoon.

adventures in homemaking-gardening

we've been doing quite a bit of gardening lately, as the last frost date has finally past. after clearing the plot of weeds, we hoed it out due to not having a tiller. we've planted four tomato seedlings, two straight neck sqash seedlings and have sweet pepper and cantalope (muskmelon, mushmelon) seedlings to plant as well. i'm going to try to plant some more bee balm, as the bee balm trying to grow at the moment is really struggling (i think it took some hard hits with frost earlier on).

i also have planted a kitchen herb garden in containers for the back porch, which is just off the kitchen. thyme, oregano, sage, chives, marjoram, basil, mint, lavender and dill will hopefully begin to thrive soon. i've also a small rosemary shrub in my favorite decorative pot. i'm looking forward to making my own seasoning combinations from fresh herbs. two cookbooks are also helping my excitement over the kitchen herb "garden": the home cook book, a canadian classic cookbook from 1877 and artisan bread in five minutes a day; the first one i own and the second one i checked out from the library recently.

planting, weeding, watering, aerating the soil are just some of the tasks that will keep us busy for the rest of the growing season. guarding the garden from the mowers will also be a weekly task; our landlord has a local lawn service come and mow, which is very nice so that we don't have to worry about it. however, the mowers seem intent on hunting down and mowing over EVERY piece of green in their reach, including in the garden bed and flower beds. so, we've also been working on a very clear delineation between the garden and yard, with stakes around the edges and a decorative fence of white painted wrought iron with suncatchers in the center. hopefully these implements will keep our tender seedlings and lovely flowers and flowering shrubs safe.

adventures in homemaking-laundry soap

i made my first batch of homemade laundry soap today. those that know me know that i enjoy experimenting; for example, when i was learning to dye yarn, i "invented" several "new" colors, such as "dead elephant grey." well, the laundry soap making was no different. when it came time to add the baking soda/washing soda, i unthinkingly poured the entire amount, all at once, into a rather hot, frothing pot of soapy water. nearly immediately, the soap volcano began, as proto-laundry soap foamed its way out of the very large (did i mention it was really hot?) pot and all over the kitchen floor, counter and both sides of the sink. (oh, and my right hand, too; i've got three blisters on my fingers.) thankfully, the foaming subsided and i was able to begin environmental remediation, the result of which is a very clean kitchen floor and very shiny kitchen sink. i was also able to salvage the mixture and finish the soap making process; it wasn't a total loss and provided some valuable instructions to insert into the recipe directions for next time.

saturday chores

it's saturday and that means cleaning: the bathroom, the car, weeding the garden and flower beds and a general spruce-ing up of the house...perhaps some laundry, too, if the hamper is full enough for a load. the weather has finally cleared with sunshine streaming in the windows this morning; however, there is still a slight chill in the air, especially inside. later today, if there is time, i'll do some weaving on the new placemat designs that i'm enjoying so much.