Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”
If you are so inclined, share a link to your “Kairos Moment” in the comment section. I hope you all have a blessed weekend!
sustainable
August Action
There has been a lot of action of late in our gardens. It is truly at its peak, and despite the near 100-degree temperatures this week, we find ourselves entwined in vines of all sorts, harvesting all this fabulous veg.
Tomatoes make an appearance at our dinner table each night, for I am not sure there is a better fresh vegetable on earth than a homegrown tomato. Herbs are being dried each day in order to preserve them for the winter months. Onions and beans are being diced and then destined for the freezer. And who could forget our school garden, from which we just reached the 100 pounds donated mark! Yup, the students of Cathedral of St. Peter School have donated 100 pounds of fresh produce to the Plant a Row for the Hungry program at our local food pantry.
So much wonderful August action in the garden right now. I hope all of you are finding yourselves in the midst of such garden greatness as well!
The Boy
The Fagan house had been pet-free since its creation. You could often hear us saying, “No pets for us. Pets just aren’t our thing. Who really wants an animal living with them? I mean, it’s an animal. Yuck.” Well. Huh. Let’s just say, that has changed. Significantly.
I have talked about some of our pets in this space, and others have gone unmentioned. But what is important for you to understand is this: 1. We now have a lot of pets, all of whom have been adopted in the last year. 2. Up until Saturday morning around nine o’clock, my husband had been surrounded by three human females, and a multitude of gal pals in creature form.
Enter Pickles. The first boy to grace our residence, and join Daddy in the ranks of male Fagans.
Now, Pickles may not look particularly manly, but this little guy has stolen my girls’ hearts for sure. Welcome.
The Making of a Home Shop
I am so incredibly excited to announce the official opening of the Making of a Home Shop! It has been nearly two years since I began writing this blog, and after a great deal of thought and consideration, I have decided to branch off and sell a few of the items I often discuss with you in this space. I am so thankful for each and every one of you who join me here each day, and I hope you enjoy the new and exciting things I have in the works for Making of a Home.
Come on in, and welcome to the Making of a Home Shop!
Kairos
Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”
If you are so inclined, share a link to your “Kairos Moment” in the comment section. I hope you all have a blessed weekend!
Our Summer Kitchen
With the garden flourishing, there is a lot of action in our summer kitchen. Thank goodness for the cool temperatures that graced us last week! It made the whole idea of standing over multiple pots of boiling liquid all day a lot more tolerable.
Grandpa Dit’s Bread and Butter Pickles were first on the to-do list. One of my favorite canning goodies.
Preserving sweet peppers for winter. I take the time now to dice the peppers, and then freeze them in plastic freezer bags. Then in the winter I can just pull them out and add them to anything calling for some sweet pepper love.
A new one for us: Jalapeño Jam. It sure smelled good while making it. I guess we will see how it tastes in a few weeks. Fingers crossed.
After harvesting our rhubarb, I chop it up and freeze it in freezer bags so we can enjoy this spring and summer treat all winter long.
Our tomatoes are finally starting to ripen. I must say, our tomatoes are kind of lack luster this year, which is very disappointing because putting by tomatoes is my most favorite produce to preserve. But here is one nice sized basket I was able to garner from the garden last week. I made tomato sauce with this collection, and then froze it in our deep freeze for the winter months when throwing pasta in a pot and adding a jar of homemade tomato sauce is just what those little school girls want for dinner.
B.L.T.s I would be hard pressed to find anyone who does not think this sandwich tops the list of greatest summertime foods. The bread is from Banana Cherry Bakery, the bacon is from the hog we purchased from this farmer, the tomatoes are from our garden, and topped off with a touch of homemade mayo. (I use Jamie Oliver’s mayonnaise recipe from this cookbook.) Oh my. Delicious.
And we all know that when you eat those salty B.L.T.s you need something sweet after, right? We whipped up a batch of this amazing cinnamon sugar popcorn. Wow. It has quickly become a staple at our snack times this week.
The makings of our dinner from last night, and breakfast this morning. I love the fullness that this time of year brings. Such garden abundance is truly a blessing.
At This Moment
At this moment, I am…
~labeling all kinds of school supplies. I still cannot believe school starts this week. Where has this summer gone? My stomach is churning as I think about it.
~harvesting rhubarb from our garden. I’m hoping to whip up some rhubarb squares later this afternoon. Yum.
~transforming a portion of our playroom into a library for my little book-lovers. More on this revamped space later this week.
~re-reading Catching Fire. Oh my. I forgot how much I love this book.
~loading up the van with needed supplies for the school garden. We are setting up an outdoor classroom space today, just in time for the start of the new school year.
~wishing we could add some more days (or weeks really) to this fleeting summer.
~hoping each of you has a wonderful start to your week.
Taking It All In
It is hard to believe that in just over a week my little girls will be beginning another school year. I must say, I am definitely not one of those parents who is happy when the school year begins anew. In fact, I am finding that twist in the pit of my stomach forming. That feeling of not wanting my girls to be away from me for the better part of each day.
So for that reason, I am going to step away from this space for the week and just enjoy home. I want to be fully present in each moment of this week and relish in the goodness that is being nestled in with my little ones, enjoying what is left of this wonderful summer.
May you all have a lovely week, holding those dear ones close to you.
Kairos
Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”
If you are so inclined, share a link to your “Kairos Moment” in the comment section. I hope you all have a blessed weekend!
Kids with Cob
This weekend, for my husband’s birthday present, we journeyed up north a bit to the Angelic Organics Learning Center for a “Kids with Cob” class. We had been wanting to attend a class at Angelic for a long time now, and I am so very happy we finally had a chance to attend. We had the most wonderful afternoon, learning about building with cob, getting messy, and playing with the animals.
It’s so amazing to watch the little ones soak in so much information and knowledge, while immersed in creative activity. And best of all…the kids (and adults too) got to play in mud all day. What could be better on a beautiful Friday afternoon?
I encourage anyone living in the Rockford area to take advantage of the Angelic Organics Learning Center and all of the wonderful classes they offer in regards to holistic and sustainable living. You are sure to leave with lots of great information, and even more amazing memories.
Making of a Home 