Thursday, February 20, 2020

My first cheese!

Doesn't that sounds fancy! I have been playing around with the idea of cheese making a long time, acid cheeses are really yummy but I longed to be pressing mysterious rounds into yummy things to slice and serve my family and friends. Jim and the kids got me a bunch of supplies about a year ago, somehow, it was too precious to touch. Well, a few weeks ago I gathered up the courage and jumped into making my first cheese!

 I was trying to make a cows milk feta, and I am only slightly successful. I made cheese, it is tasty and most of my family ate it. It is not really Feta, stuck somewhere between a dry ricotta and a feta, it is not what i was aiming to make, and yet, it is yummy and unquestionably cheese

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More cheese making adventures are in my future. Lots more.

Hope your projects are going well and the your failures are still usable! ~ Julia

Monday, February 17, 2020

Monday's Musings - Start in Place

It has been a while since I took the time to sit down and write out my thoughts. I have missed it. So here goes!


Monday's Musings!

This Weekend... was calming, though maybe it shouldn't have felt so. Lately, everything has been frustrating, busy, disconnected.Everyone has been juggling full schedules and stress, even when good is still stress. 

Saturday was Mouse's robotics team work day, I got him up and out, and returning to a quiet house I decided to crawl back into bed. I fell back to sleep holding  my husband's hand. Bunny was at a sleepover party, so after getting up and ready for my day the next thing was collecting her. She had a great time (and got some sleep even!) she was is a great mood. We had a nice lunch - chicken with a veggie salad. Resee arrived and soon she and I were on our way to Midwest Fiber Frolic. We had a nice time chatting with each other and friends at the festival. Both of us are focused on being more intentional with our purchasing (even with crafts) and nothing tempted us too badly. We saw lots of lovely yarns and some neat fiber (kind of wishing I bought some of the mink blend spinning fiber but not too badly.) I have so many plans of stuff to make with what I already own that maybe going to the festival was a bit silly, but it was nice just the same. That night the kids were scheduled to play D&D with their cousins and Grandma and she offered to watch all of them overnight. Our kids really wanted too, so Jim and I had the night to ourselves. He went grocery shopping and I worked on my crochet. We ended up having a much needed chance to talk and spend time together. 

Sunday, we gathered our kids, worked on the remaining homework - math practice and painting a diorama for science - played board games and Lego. I finished my crochet hat (hair-covering) and got some laundry done. Not exciting but necessary and together.

Right now... I am sitting in the living room, with a coke and bottle of water by my side and a notebook in my lap. The remaining laundry is all folded and the dishwasher is working quietly away. The family is off at their week-a-day tasks and the house is quiet. I have music playing, The House of the Rising Son. I think I will make lunch after this and then get back to work.

Plans... to make Bunny a pair of pjammas, hopefully finishing the muslin today and starting in on the sloth fabric later tonight. I also would really like to finish the socks I am knitting her this week, I have about two inches left before decreasing for the toes, so it is do able but not necessarily something I will finish. I also have a dress I am working on for her, I need to add a waist band and hem it, but she wants the PJs more. 

I need to focus on my business this year, the momentum I lost with my ankle needs to be regained. I want to hit it really hard this year and if I fail then just be done. I said this to my husband, and he ever practical, asked how I was defining success. I felt a bit like I had ran straight into a brick wall. I knew what one failure condition was but hadn't really thought about what was success. So I want to ponder that a bit and write down some answers. I am doing a photo shoot tomorrow, with my father, and making some show decisions and putting in some applications. I want to have my Etsy shop back up and running this week. 

I want to re arrange my studio. I plan on getting some of the tables out, hanging a wall shelf for pretty things, building a cutting table/workstation/photo area out of some dressers and bit of counter (I don't have these pieces so there will be some shopping) I want it to be counter height not table height and intend to store fabric and patterns in the dressers. Ultimately, there is just too much in the room and the clutter is bothering me, I don't plan on dumping things, I want to work through the supplies. 

I have taken up cheese making with my first 'real' cheese being Feta. it wasn't totally right but it was yummy. I have ordered another book and some supplies and I plan to try a Cheddar and a Gouda next. I don't know if that will be this week it depends on the shipping, I never expedite shipping, I can wait. I want to make more of the food we eat. 

If I have some time for myself... I will probably make some pickled veggies and bread. 

Prayerful Intentions... to establish a meditative routine. for my husband. for my children. for my friends who are struggling with hard things. 

I hope your workbasket if filled with things you find value and joy in making, that those around you find value in the work you do and express their love and appreciation of you, and that you express your love and appreciation for those around you. 

Thank you ~ Julia