Leila Marie Lawler's Blog, page 7
May 18, 2024
Strawberry rhubarb pie; my little crabapple tree; that last cupboard in the kitchen!
For Mother's Day, I made myself a strawberry rhubarb pie! Deirdre and her kids came over (John was painting at a wedding) and we had such a nice day. Rhubarb pie is my favorite, I must say, but to show my love and also to avoid being a total selfish pig, I decorated it to honor Mary, our mother!
I'm actually a bit out of practice in my kitchen work, having been out of commission for so long, but fortunately I already posted the recipe and method here.
As things warm up and our poor pitiful New England spring puts in an appearance, I was gratified to see my little crabapple tree in bloom. I found it a few years ago when we cleared a lot of brush up there and am so happy that we exposed it so we can enjoy it! My photos are not great, because it's so white that it is hard to capture with the phone!
This is our back yard and the tree is right up close to our property line. Above it is an apple orchard but I have no apple trees — other than this little cutie! I made crabapple jelly the year before last (last year a late frost did a lot of damage to all the fruits around here). I'm looking forward to trying again!
Kitchen Corner
Last week I said I'd show you this last cupboard in the kitchen. (I also said I'd show what's in my “active pantry” cupboard next to the stove, but I'll do that later.)
When they demo'd the walls, they found this!
This cupboard here which had been covered in drywall, just behind the chimney breast (they had already put in the beadboard at this point):
Here it is now — I'm giving you a view with the back stairs too. Someday maybe I'll be able to take the carpet out but this is not that day.
The bookshelf had to be moved out of the pantry to make room for the seed bench in there. It will go back soon!
I thought about what to put in this cupboard.
It had to be some category of thing that I wouldn't forget about — in my world, things that are out of sight are out of mind — and also, I later realized, something not affected by the heat of the wood stove; medicines and vitamins wouldn't be good to put there.
Also, inside, it goes back to the right, towards the stairs, in a sort of inaccessible way… it was really hard to prep and paint!
For now I have decided on the unaesthetic category paper goods and light bulbs — putting them here gets them off the pantry shelves where they are untidy and in the way.
So that's a little boring! Maybe you have a better thought?
bits & piecesI loved this consideration of N. C. Wyeth, one of my favorite illustrators. Julian Kwasniewski excellently describes the world we enter when we view his pictures, the influence of his work, and, importantly, the value of paintings over photographs in the formation of children's minds. I am sad to say that the current style of illustration for mainstream (and often Christian and Catholic) literature is in a state unfitting to the genre (since children deserve to be offered the best of our imaginations) and also weirdly, unaccountably uniform in style. We need to revisit the masters of the past to escape from today's commercialism.
Biblical truths turn out to be biological truths as well. A good article on the meaning, in physical as well as spiritual reality, of the one-flesh union of man and woman in matrimony.
An interesting personal memoir of the psychological madness that overtook education in general and Catholic schools in particular in the 60s; the ideology behind it is still with us today and we need to be alert to it.
from the archivesAsk Auntie Leila: Are fairy tales always appropriate?
liturgical living
Tomorrow is Pentecost! What a beautiful time to ask for the Holy Spirit to come dwell with us!
follow us everywhere! share us with your friends!
Here is my affiliate link to my Amazon page — the only affiliate thing that goes on here on LMLD, which is why the page loads quickly and you don’t have to keep closing pop-ups etc! Thank you for opening it and shopping if you are so minded — as some have asked me. If not, don’t worry one bit!
My book, The Summa Domestica: Order and Wonder in Family Life is available from Sophia Press! Also in paperback now! All the thoughts from this blog collected into three volumes, beautifully presented with illustrations from Deirdre, an index in each volume, and ribbons!
My “random thoughts no pictures” blog, Happy Despite Them has moved over to Substack! — receive it by email if you like, or bookmark, so you don’t miss a thing! The old one is still up if you want to look at the comments on past posts. It will take me a while to get things organized, but you'll be patient, I know!
My podcast, The Home Truths Society, can be found on the Restoration of Christian Culture website (and you can find it where you listen to such things) — be sure to check out the other offerings there!
Stay abreast of the posts here at LMLD, when they happen:
Consider subscribing to this blog by email. We would love to pop into your inbox! The subscription box is on this page on the sidebar!
We share pretty pictures: Auntie Leila’s Instagram, Rosie’s Instagram, Deirdre’s Instagram. Bridget’s Instagram.
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow)
The boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest
The post Strawberry rhubarb pie; my little crabapple tree; that last cupboard in the kitchen! appeared first on Like Mother, Like Daughter.
May 11, 2024
Work Zone in the Kitchen Part 2
In case you missed it, I snuck in a non-kitchen post during the week — some books you might be interested in! Including some for Father's Day perhaps? I'm always up for book talk and curriculum talk, even if a bit distracted with the far-reaching kitchen reno. For instance, since everything got thrown into other rooms, all of those not to mention the garage need re-organizing! It's overwhelming!
Anyway, last Saturday I showed you how I think in zones in the kitchen and how my storage is organized accordingly in the main work area that is what it is due to windows, doors, fireplace, etc. This week I'm showing you the other side and answering the burning question of where the dish towels are.
I have been in kitchens where things are not in reach of the job that needs to be done and I want to say, that's all very well when you're young and have time on your hands, but a busy situation with hungry children running in and out demands that the housewife use her brain and come up with some time-and-motion management!
No kitchen is perfect.
Even if you started from scratch in a brand-new build, you'd later realize all the oddities. And it's not what you might think, either — more square footage and more cabinets does not necessarily equal efficiency! In fact, I learned in my little duplex apartment in Washington DC with three small kids that a little galley kitchen can save you in the sheer exhaustion from all the steps department. I liked being able to turn to reach things vs. jog back and forth — especially when I was pregnant!
I certainly don't have a galley kitchen today! Yet I don't have a lot of working space either. I'm grateful I have space for a table and chairs and even a rocking chair. So… just like you… I work with what I have. All of this is not to incite envy, I hope, but to show you how my mind works and worked even in the previous iteration of this kitchen, which I actually loved.
I had the opportunity to redo it because of its decrepitude, and I tried to apply all the principles and experience while remaining true to my actual aesthetic, which doesn't aim for any kind of slick look!
So you will see a lot of things that are not “styled” though I think they do express my style, and that says a lot about me, I guess.
Let's get oriented:
Over on the left is the fireplace and other side where I really do all the main work.
Okay, let's tour the organization!
This little wooden shelf was in the old kitchen under the plate rack by the table. It fits right here at the end of this row of cabinets. I keep the tin cups for children, the paper napkins, a basket in which we can put our cloth napkins (it has napkin rings in it) when the table is cleared, plus some different cloth coasters for keeping track of all the glasses when there are a lot of people. And a left-behind baby toy. And a set of colored pencils in case anyone suddenly needs to color.
The small box holds scotch tape and other sundries — it held something we purchased, can't remember what; it is a well made sturdy little drawer of a box, so I mod-podged some pretty paper on it.
On that counter on the end is the “tea center.” I had longed to get the tea prep out of my main work area. It's hard to unload the dishwasher and get breakfast ready, much less have someone else — another body in the space — unload, while someone is also making tea or coffee right there.
Since I knew I was getting rid of the counter where my electric kettle was (see further down), I made the plan to have the tea center on this side of the room.
I would still like to find a little wooden cabinet of the right size for on the counter, but for now these little random shelves are fine. I borrowed the wood one from the pantry where it was holding my medicinal herbs. I'm sure something will come along!
The sink, Berkey, tea things, mugs, and paraphernalia including for making cocktails and opening wine, which can be done here if I'm very busy on the other side, are all right here, including extra things in this drawer:
I need potholders on this side as well for when I pull something out of the oven here. So these items are very much at the point of first use. Those gray things on the right in the drawer came with the fridge — they are for stabilizing a bottle of wine on a fridge shelf. There are two in the fridge already; these are extras. In my mind they go with “drinks paraphernalia” so this is where they are stored.
Below that drawer is the recycling drawer. My cabinetmaker, as I told you before, was very concerned to make this sort of thing for me! I wanted the trash under the sinks for sure as I explained in the last post. But we were eliminating the place where the recycling went before, which was a big wooden box at the end of the counter by the door:
I still love that box, which was from my parents'-in-law's old house, but of course it wasn't actually the best view as you came in! It's in the garage and maybe I'll figure out another use for it.
By the way, you can see the kettle on that now-gone counter. Just not the best place — but the only place at the time — for someone to be puttering around with their tea, by definition not moving fast because, no caffeine yet! Imagine so many people going in and out right here…
(This is the new kettle — affiliate link. When the lid of our old one malfunctioned due to bad design, being attached, which is unnecessary, I decided to get this one. The lid comes off, so no hinge to break, and the thermometer helps greatly when warming water for the sourdough.)
Look up for mugs and teapots (others in the pantry):
Here is the cabinet under the sink.
Since the sink is much wider than standard (it's about 42″), this cabinet is big!
It's a bonus that the Instant Pot is quite cozy in there!
For the record, here's the other sink, my main one across the room — I didn't show it last week:
The drying rack hanging on the door came with the sink. I never ever use it! I keep thinking I will…
Do you use yours?
Now going to the left of the oven and sink:
The red area first:
Top drawer:
I have so many eating utensils (blue handled) from so many decades of serving so many people that I really don't need them all over in the island, and the kind of dividers I got for over there don't hold everything anyway.
So the extras are here for when I need them, plus serving items, gadgets, and sundries that I use occasionally, not often. According to minimalist theory I should just get rid of them, but like I said before, when you need them, you need them! I store the blender blades here because I sometimes use mason jars (the narrow opening ones fit them) rather than my blender jar.
The next drawer down:
These are sandwich bread pans that I don't use often anymore, extra bowl and pyrex baking dishes and pie plates, etc.
Bottom drawer:
I used to have my food processor on my main counter in my baking area. But I realized I use my Kitchenaid much more and this could certainly be stored away, as I use it maybe once every couple of months.
By the way, someone commented about the drawers holding the weight — they certainly do! I questioned the cabinetmaker about the big long one in the island that holds all my dishes. He said it is rated for that and the only issue they ever had was a lady who stored her stone pottery dishes in there; they simply gave her stronger screws! So these drawers are made so sturdily I must say!
Now the green area:
Top drawer — Misc./junk!
That's just about as organized as that is ever going to be! I do so appreciate that it pulls out all the way, as do the other drawers. It's just… amazing.
This second drawer holds large containers (some of which are in use at the moment) and placemats. Under the placemats are casserole dishes I very occasionally use. But in large families, you need more than one or two. They just can't all be in the main area!
And finally:
Blender (and yes, I actually do use the food processor, blender, Kitchenaid, and blender stick! I USE THEM ALL). Extra mixer bowl — I recommend having two if you bake a lot of bread. Lids for said mixer bowls. Double boiler. Water bottles. Sifter and under it the Foley Food Mill which when you need, you need!
Looking up:
I actually prefer the microwave in the pantry, but right now the seed bench is in there (see below).
Coffee things for guests (we don't drink coffee) — so they do not need to be in the prime areas. Serving dishes galore! Broken Polish Pottery mug, waaahhh, extra mugs and glassware, platters, barware.
Needing a stool to access, but that's okay because really seldom used:
Specialty baking items like decorating tips, cookie cutters; thermal coffee jug; salad spinner — I usually just use a big flour sacking towel (affiliate link) unless I am making a huge salad.
So normally this is more of a work counter, and even now I often blend or food process things over here, but anyway I have my mill and some trays stowed in this spot.
This is what's going on in the pantry, which is just to the left of that counter:
So once everything is planted, we'll have to RE-organize it and have a tour! Does this all look very DIS-organized to you??
It makes sense to me!
Just to finish up (and see the towels):
Turning back, here's the back (or front) of the island:
Napkins and some kitchen towels. The rest of the towels, and there are a lot because I think as you get older you get truly obsessed, are under respective sinks or even in a basket in the pantry!
And on this side, candles and other sundries.
I have only one other little spot to show you, but I think it will wait for next time!
On to our links!
bits & pieces
In our latest podcast, Phil and I talk about many things including a book by a friend about the Egyptian connection to Ireland. Phil also wrote a review, Did Egyptian monks pave the way for St. Patrick? which you can find here. The book is Monastery and High Cross: The Forgotten Eastern Roots of Irish Christianity by Connie Marshner. (affiliate link)
Fr. Pokorsky on our favorite topic, the 10 Commandments. And dinner conversation.
An interesting article on Catholics and other Christians coming together to live, drawn by their place of worship.
Speaking of kitchen inspiration, The Marston House in San Deigo offers a lot of sweet design.
I love these Swedish patterns.
I always enjoy the short articles at Memoria Press. I came across this one again: The Contemplative Reader, and I recommend it to you for thinking about teaching the child how to read, helping him gain competence, and guiding him to understanding and contemplation. These are the themes of my section on teaching reading in Volume 2 of my Summa Domestica too! Whether you send your child to school or teach him at home, these are important principles to have in mind so you can achieve the goal.
Here is a very nice shop with handmade items: The Woodshop at Avalon! I think they would be up for putting into wood something you might have in mind!
from the archives
liturgical living
Feast of Mary, Queen of Apostles
Between Ascension and Pentecost
follow us everywhere! share us with your friends!
Here is my affiliate link to my Amazon page — the only affiliate thing that goes on here on LMLD, which is why the page loads quickly and you don’t have to keep closing pop-ups etc! Thank you for opening it and shopping if you are so minded — as some have asked me. If not, don’t worry one bit!
My book, The Summa Domestica: Order and Wonder in Family Life is available from Sophia Press! Also in paperback now! All the thoughts from this blog collected into three volumes, beautifully presented with illustrations from Deirdre, an index in each volume, and ribbons!
My “random thoughts no pictures” blog, Happy Despite Them has moved over to Substack! — receive it by email if you like, or bookmark, so you don’t miss a thing! The old one is still up if you want to look at the comments on past posts. It will take me a while to get things organized, but you'll be patient, I know!
My podcast, The Home Truths Society, can be found on the Restoration of Christian Culture website (and you can find it where you listen to such things) — be sure to check out the other offerings there!
Stay abreast of the posts here at LMLD, when they happen:
Consider subscribing to this blog by email. We would love to pop into your inbox! The subscription box is on this page on the sidebar!
We share pretty pictures: Auntie Leila’s Instagram, Rosie’s Instagram, Deirdre’s Instagram. Bridget’s Instagram.
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow)
The boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest
The post Work Zone in the Kitchen Part 2 appeared first on Like Mother, Like Daughter.
May 7, 2024
Mid-week book break
Every week I think I'll have more “corners” in which to discuss all the disparate topics of homemaking and homeschooling and thinking and reading, but then I get caught up in kitchen reno talk and realize the post has already gone on too long for anything else.
So we're going to have a little book chat now!
Maybe you are making plans for next year's homeschool curriculum, or perhaps a small co-op or school needs some suggestions for history? Let me recommend a new book, the follow-up to one I recommended last year, Becoming Rome.
This one is Becoming Greece: From the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic Age in the Words of Eminent Greeks.
This is a genuine textbook with review questions, seminar topics, further reading, and endnotes. It has illustrations and maps including original battle diagrams by a family friend, Mark Hieronymus.
It differs from other textbooks in providing lots of primary sources and a context grounded in traditional principles, eschewing the false claim of values-free historical narrative that “doesn't impose morality.”
So in that sense, particularly with the reliance on primary sources, I think this volume fits in well with a Charlotte-Mason sort of curriculum overall. In itself it is well written and presented. History, even one age, is too large a topic to rely on separate original texts — not in high school! You need a trusted guide to pull it together for you.
The authors Bill Dardis and Tom Cox offer a “self-developed eighth grade ancient history curriculum” that acknowledges that “every story contains real decisions made by real people, and the reader, when faced with similar circumstances, will have to decide whether to imitate those choices or chart a different course.” To that end, Becoming Greece provides commentary alongside the events presented, from the leading lights of philosophy and theology through the ages.
As teachers at the highly regarded Heights School in Potomac, MD, the authors have experience guiding serious young people in this topic. They work on the premise that history is not “an exercise in skepticism” but “a constant pursuit of the truth.”
Becoming Greece is just as impressive as Becoming Rome. I recommend it for your middle- or high-school student or secondary school. You can read more about both and get more information here at Becoming Civilized and I see they will be offering videos to help the teacher prepare for the classes, which seems like a great idea.
I also received in the mail from the Silverstream Abbey Cenacle Press, these beautiful volumes of the essays of Hilaire Belloc. (They are for sale in the US at Sophia Institute Press.) If you aren't familiar with his writing, start here to get a taste: The Mowing of a Field — read it aloud tonight, why not! This essay is in the volume Hills and the Sea.
The site says, “As a part of The Cenacle Press' Kells Collection, the volume is printed as a cloth back with sewn binding, and silk screen and gold foil stamping finish on the cover. It is a volume that all true book lovers will want to have in their library!”
This is all very true. The volumes are just a book-lover's delight, with my favorite, so seldom found feature: they lie flat when you open them.
These books (or one of them, the start of a set) would make a great Father's Day gift for that gentleman who is looking to build a library with pleasing, old-fashioned volumes.
And I received a batch of prayer cards as well! I don't know if they come normally, but the one of Fr. Willie Doyle reminded me to mention him to you. I love him so.
follow us everywhere! share us with your friends!
Here is my affiliate link to my Amazon page — the only affiliate thing that goes on here on LMLD, which is why the page loads quickly and you don’t have to keep closing pop-ups etc! Thank you for opening it and shopping if you are so minded — as some have asked me. If not, don’t worry one bit!
My book, The Summa Domestica: Order and Wonder in Family Life is available from Sophia Press! Also in paperback now! All the thoughts from this blog collected into three volumes, beautifully presented with illustrations from Deirdre, an index in each volume, and ribbons!
My “random thoughts no pictures” blog, Happy Despite Them has moved over to Substack! — receive it by email if you like, or bookmark, so you don’t miss a thing! The old one is still up if you want to look at the comments on past posts. It will take me a while to get things organized, but you'll be patient, I know!
My podcast, The Home Truths Society, can be found on the Restoration of Christian Culture website (and you can find it where you listen to such things) — be sure to check out the other offerings there!
Stay abreast of the posts here at LMLD, when they happen:
Consider subscribing to this blog by email. We would love to pop into your inbox! The subscription box is on this page on the sidebar!
We share pretty pictures: Auntie Leila’s Instagram, Rosie’s Instagram, Deirdre’s Instagram. Bridget’s Instagram.
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow)
The boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest
The post Mid-week book break appeared first on Like Mother, Like Daughter.
May 4, 2024
Work zone organization tour in the kitchen!
{I activated comments in the last post in case you had something to say over there! And my apologies for the garbled and annoying email last week! I think tech support has ironed out the issues. Let's hope so! Thanks for sticking with us!}
Pull up your socks and chase the fox and lay the blighter low* — we are going to take a tour of my main work zone in the kitchen!
*Bertie Wooster in P. G. Wodehouse's The Mating Season (affiliate link, or just go to the library and get it! so funny!)
By popular demand (that is, one reader asked but who wouldn't want to peer into someone's working kitchen for all the details), I will show you how I organize my work zone so I am efficient and don't need a ton of storage right there, though of course I have storage elsewhere because I don't believe in ever getting rid of anything, nor am I a minimalist.
Yet, I work with relatively few items, even when there are so many people to feed, as on occasion there are (it's just me and the Chief now but as you know, I've had up to 11 every day eating regularly scheduled meals and some that are spontaneous, so I do know a little bit about it.)
Even though my kitchen is new, the setup is very close to how it was before, because over the decades I had figured out my process. When I was deciding on cabinets, I knew how I wanted things to be.
And it's funny, because I have never been able to quite wrap my mind around the work triangle, but I do think in terms of zones and maybe that can help you too.
Otherwise, all this is way, way too much information — apologies in advance!
A book I highly recommend is this one: Kitchen Organization Tips and Secrets by Deniece Schofield. (affiliate link) This lady has a systematic mind and raised five children.
What I suggest is reading it and then think about it while you work in your space. Then go back and read some more. Then change things as you notice what you use most and what you are having to push aside to get to what you need.
Here is my main area with my very professional technical drawings:
For an overview of what I will go more into detail about below, here's the big picture:
The blue area is where I stand to do my food prep, though I also do some things at the island if I need to spread out. I will show you what I do with the drawers there — it's all very carefully planned and not random at all. I knew exactly how I wanted it to be!
The green area is of course where I cook.
The red area is where the dishes and eating and serving utensils are stored. For more about the island, go here. Here's what you need to know about me: I do not like to use eating utensils for food prep, because I don't want to come up short when setting the table and because I am almost OCD about what utensil I want for the job. More on that below.
When I scoured photos for kitchen ideas, I was sold on drawers over cabinets under the counter, and I will show them to you. Note how they pull out completely and make everything so easy to see and access!
But I was not sold on what all those influencers put in their drawers! Mine are not “styled” but are chock full of what I use every day, organized in the order that I use them.
Note the eating utensils in the right-hand drawer, in the island:
And the drawer on the left has serving spoons and forks as well as some cooking utensils that I like to have handy but not right in my main work area. Such as the potato masher! I can't live without a potato masher but I do not want it in the utensil holder next to the stove, where it will get in my way and cause everything to fling out in a tangle. I don't use it that often. When I make mashed potatoes, I want it! So it goes in this secondary area. Also in there: the extra-wide fisher-outer skimmer ladle thing that I use for making bagels and donuts (rarely) and so on.
Package of razors for my bread lame (if you get a package, you will change your blade, and your scoring will improve), bottle washers, cheese knives… you get the idea. Not in my 80% use but definitely things I need nearby.
The big point is to have things at the point of use and organized according to how often you use them.
To the right of the sink and the dishwasher is my fridge and storage above it. We switched the position of the fridge and the stove and that has made a huge difference to my work flow! The fridge does not need to be as close to where you are working as the sink, dishwasher, and stove need to be close to each other.
Under the sink is the usual under-the-sink stuff. I'm basking in how new, clean, and tidy it all is, but it's just your usual cleansers, sponges, and the trash bin. I decided I did not have room for separate trash drawers as you might see in some kitchens, because of my preconceived idea of how the drawers are to be allocated. No room to dedicate to trash — and it's just fine! You really can't store nice food-related things under the sink.
Okay, let's open some drawers! To compare, here is a very early post of mine with explanations as to why I have things where I do. Only the most devoted stalker will care, but basically, my point is that what worked for me then still works for me now. (The misc./junk drawer is now on the other side of the kitchen so we won't go over that now.)
We'll start here:
The blue section is my “handy items.”
Top drawer: utensils and plenty of them for fishing olives out of jars, tasting a sauce, having one clean spoon for the mayo and another for scooping tuna, knives for peanut butter and butter and mustard, can opener, a bulb baster, and so on.
These are things I use every day or else they need to be close (when you need the bulb baster you need it, though it could be in the other drawer to be honest and posting this is making me see that! it's kind of in the way).
Some of these things are mismatched utensils I inherited. I didn't want them jumbled in with my eating utensils; that would annoy me and be a snare for a guest who is trying to help by setting the table. But getting rid of them seemed wasteful. Long ago I got the idea to use them in my food prep.
The next drawer down is my bread drawer:
I also keep the cereal in there (the Chief just likes it a couple times a week — it's not something I ever eat, myself). I keep my jar lids there too in an old container.
I'm not styling things here. This is how I work and do things. I bought new drawer dividers once I figured out what I needed; the old ones were not really salvageable — they were pretty old! Most of these new ones are from Aldi — the ones the cabinet-maker offers are very expensive! I did get a couple of these on Amazon (affiliate link). Since my cabinets are all custom, I had to measure carefully and choose dividers that worked in the space. These fit pretty well and do the job.
If I can use an old container or homemade bag for bread, I will.
The bottom drawer holds my containers and jars.
Right now a lot of containers are in use, holding food, so the drawer is not very full, but it often is! Isn't it annoying how the whole container/jar flow is constantly changing? I have realized one must be flexible and not seek a permanent solution!
I have large containers in a cabinet across the room and lots of jars in the pantry along with very large containers. But the everyday little ones for that one serving of pasta left over are right here at the point of use.
On to the next set of drawers!
The drawers marked with red represent my baking and prep zone.
To understand my thinking, look at this:
There is my mixer. I pull it forward to use it. This makes me so happy! It used to not fit under the cabinets and so was dreadfully just awkwardly sitting out, yet always in use, and the attachments were jumbled in the corner lazy susan, which was also awkward. Deirdre puts hers under her upper cabinet and I liked that idea, so I did it… I think I broke my contractor's heart a little with this arrangement, but I actually work here, you know? It's not for show. Being able to save motions by quickly accessing the attachment I need helps me feel and be efficient in the kitchen and cuts down on the sense that it's all futile. If it feels like drudgery, it could be that the setup is tiring and demoralizing.
Here's how it used to be:
I had my flour, sugar, and other baking things in the corner cabinet and the pots and pans where my drawers are now. I needed that stool, but you can see how annoying it is for it to be in the way of the cabinet door that has to be swung. A different stool is now under my island and that one is in the pantry.
The mixer didn't shove back, as you can see, and the fridge was giving me no elbow room in that corner!
Now I everything is right where I'm working:
I can easily move the cutting board over to the right and get everything I need for baking on the counter.
The food processor (which you can barely see in the old photo — it did fit under the cabinet and was fine in the corner then) is now stored across the way in the new area. I don't use it too often so it's fine to use it over there or bring it here. I wouldn't get rid of it — when I need it, I need it. But it doesn't need to be in the main area here. The Schofield book I recommended above has a lengthy explanation about how to figure all that out.
Top drawer:
Measuring spoons, wraps, etc.
I got the wrap holder from Aldi. They seem to have a week in the late winter when they offer organizational items for pretty cheap! I hit it just right! You can get the same sort of thing here. I think when I was younger and had more going on, I might not have quite had the patience for it, to be honest. It might have taxed my ability to fuss with having the things dispense correctly. I might have preferred to put up with the individual boxes in there and let the chips fall where they may. The foil one in particular is a little cantankerous. But it is pleasing to have things more or less tidy.
I have a glass container that lost its lid there, and that holds binder clips for closing bags, rubber bands, and clean plastic produce bags for when you need one. Corral those little things! Also a sharpie for labeling the jars and ziplocs. And potholders. I can pivot from the stove to this drawer for those — it's perfect.
I used to have my knives in this spot, in a knife holder that fit in the drawer, taking up the whole thing. Now I have them on a magnetic strip by the stove, which we'll look at soon.
Second drawer, and this is the true jewel in the organizing crown:
I admit that I didn't have exact measurements in my mind when we (the cabinet-maker and I) planned all this, but he seemed to know what I needed. I wanted a big, deep drawer for everything baking-related. And you can see — it's all there!
Three kinds of flour — those big bins hold 10 lbs (the big buckets are in the pantry), sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and soda… I don't have to take steps to get these things (or wrestle with the lazy susan). I can scoop flour or sugar right out of the bin without taking it out. These are my old containers and they work just fine.
Here's a close-up to show you how I put things where I want them: when I'm making bread, I need napkins to line my bannetons and certain towels I always reach for to put over my bowls as the bread rises. These are folded up here in the corner, nice and clean, ready when I need them. They are dedicated to baking — I have other napkins and towels elsewhere.
Here's the bottom drawer:
It holds the bowls I use most often, including small enameled bowls; measuring cups, scale, and baking dishes that don't fit elsewhere but need to be close by. Other bowls are across the room. Funnily enough, that one pyrex dish on top doesn't fit well anywhere, but I use it so often! It just has to be close. I wrote about it on my Instagram as one of several bachelor items my husband had that I actually use far more than fancy new things that look spiffier.
These are things I really use! They are not particularly photo-worthy, but I can't do without them, and well, they are in a drawer, so you can't really see them!
If you look up, you see a lot of my most-used serving items, very handily right there for when whatever it is has finished cooking and needs to be served, plus glasses (I might find another spot for those):
Recently I had the bright idea to move the toaster over to the left. It had always been closer to the sink, but that's because I only had one outlet on that wall! Now I am awash in outlets — I'm living in outlet abundance, and not even really realizing it! Having the toaster over here opens up a lot of space near my sink. So nice!
Continuing over to the left, towards the corner, we have, under the counter, the open corner shelves that hold my pots and pans; but what I wanted to show you is how I have my extra cutting boards tucked in here for handy access:
Again, the details about the cabinets themselves are here.
Now we go around the corner:
You can see where I put my knives. Again, I'm more interested in point of use than “styling” though of course it needs to be pretty too! I use every one of those knives — they are not for show.
And by the by, what is up with some stylists putting the knives blade down?? That seems threatening to me!
The items in the utensil crock are for daily use. You can see (sort of) that I only have two wooden spoons, though more would be prettier. I actually don't love two of the silicon spatulas but I do use them — need to get better ones. I have my cooking olive oil there ready to pour out of the bottle and my salt and pepper on the dish on the stove.
The plate is my spoon rest! I was trying to figure out where to store two little random but pretty non-matching plates and all of a sudden I thought — I could keep them handy and use them as spoon rests, which before this idea struck, I had done without, as a dedicated one doesn't appeal to me. This makes me happy!
I used to have my spices in the cabinet over to the right of the stove, but that is now gone. I didn't know if I'd like this (I thought I would not) but I actually do:
I removed the top shelf so my oils and other taller things would fit.
And my herbs and spices are below:
Now if you turn back to the fridge, you'll see my baking trays, cake pans, and cooling racks up above:
I forgot to take a picture of the pie plates in the upper cabinet back in the corner, but they are up there. I get the stool to reach them, and there are more on the other side of the kitchen.
Well, that is my tour of this side of the room. I hope it helps you if you are struggling with organizing your kitchen items and maybe not having a lot of storage. Looking back on one house I lived in that had many cupboards and drawers, I think having limited storage helps you focus and be efficient!
I think you can get away with fewer things if you think them through very well, which you do as you use them and ponder where you wish they were instead of where they are now.
If you reach for something every day (like a metal spatula or the salt), that thing should not be under or away or deep inside something else or up high. It should be right there, maybe even hanging on a nail or in a jar on the counter.
If you don't use something very often, you should put it further away or in a spot that isn't as convenient but it's okay once in a while to get to it.
Like things should be together. Your work zone should have what you need in it and nothing else and it's okay to adjust and rethink!
bits & piecesSo sad to hear of Fr. John Hunwicke's passing. May his memory be eternal — he will be missed!
This is a long post centering around Wyoming Catholic College, but with many more universal observations about education and the thought of John Senior. Yes, it would be wonderful to hike the western mountains, but don't let that perhaps unreachable goal stop you from encountering nature where you are and reclaiming the old customs and enjoyments. I would add to the recommendations at the end, get rid of all LED bulbs in your living areas. Incandescents forever! Here is a search to get you started on finding them. (affiliate link)
Don't miss my latest on Substack!
A really helpful booklist, organized by age!
Phil wrote a review of a book we both enjoyed and learned a lot from, about the flower song prophecies in meso-America that prepared the peoples there for the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Mexico. If your children like to listen to podcasts, this one is about St. Juan Diego and references the research uncovered in the book!
Lab mice maybe have minds of their own? Shorter; longer.
Some are starting, belatedly, to acknowledge that the Covid shots cause harm: FDA's Woodcock: “I’m disappointed In myself,” Over Vaccine Injuries
from the archivesManage your horizontal surfaces! This is a pretty old post, but it's all true, and it has some kitchen “befores” in it if you are interested, as well as ways to keep your kitchen tidy even with lots of kids and activities.
Is it possible to be creative with little kids around?
liturgical living
follow us everywhere! share us with your friends!
Here is my affiliate link to my Amazon page — the only affiliate thing that goes on here on LMLD, which is why the page loads quickly and you don’t have to keep closing pop-ups etc! Thank you for opening it and shopping if you are so minded — as some have asked me. If not, don’t worry one bit!
My book, The Summa Domestica: Order and Wonder in Family Life is available from Sophia Press! Also in paperback now! All the thoughts from this blog collected into three volumes, beautifully presented with illustrations from Deirdre, an index in each volume, and ribbons!
My “random thoughts no pictures” blog, Happy Despite Them has moved over to Substack! — receive it by email if you like, or bookmark, so you don’t miss a thing! The old one is still up if you want to look at the comments on past posts. It will take me a while to get things organized, but you'll be patient, I know!
My podcast, The Home Truths Society, can be found on the Restoration of Christian Culture website (and you can find it where you listen to such things) — be sure to check out the other offerings there!
Stay abreast of the posts here at LMLD, when they happen:
Consider subscribing to this blog by email. We would love to pop into your inbox! The subscription box is on this page on the sidebar!
We share pretty pictures: Auntie Leila’s Instagram, Rosie’s Instagram, Deirdre’s Instagram. Bridget’s Instagram.
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow)
The boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest
The post Work zone organization tour in the kitchen! appeared first on Like Mother, Like Daughter.
April 27, 2024
Poking around in some corners: baking, making, kitchen; and links!
I posted these cookies on Instagram and promised to give you the recipe here.
I was in Homegoods where they had a plethora of various foodstuffs on clearance, one of which was a jar of lime-mint-rum marmalade, of all the random and appealing ideas (good ingredients, don't worry) — and Knit Night, which I host, was that night.
I searched my mind for a treat making use of this delicious preserve, and the idea of these jam-thumbprint-style cookies came to me. I regard them as Christmas cookies, though I have never made them during that season (!) (why not!?!) (they are so easy!), but it seemed like the best way to showcase the jam.
They are so good! And super easy. These are not snacking cookies for the kids to fill up on, they are special treats for the ladies at the St. Clare Guild as it's really called (and one's husband as he passes through and the kids on a feast day, I'm not that mean!). I call them Mojito Cookies but who knows if I'll ever find that marmalade again!
The important thing is to use salt in the dough. Some recipes don't call for it. Don't skimp, for if you do, the cookie will seem bland no matter how delectable the jam bit is.
My recipe here calls for a whole egg; some recipes call for egg yolks, but I already have several containers of egg whites in the freezer (from making mayo, which in future I will also use a whole egg for, but more on that another time).
(Mojito) Marmalade Cookies, Like Mother, Like Daughter
Preheat your oven to 375°F
For the filling: about 1/2 cup of jam or marmalade (in this case, lime-mint-rum!) or lemon curd — in my case I used lime-mint-rum marmalade which certainly was a rare find!
Cream together:
12 oz butter (1 1/2 sticks), just room temperature, not warm
1/2 cup sugar
Incorporate:
One egg (you could do two egg yolks if you want whites for something else!)
Add:
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix well.
Form 1″ balls (I use a cookie scoop — like a mini ice-cream scoop — because you don't want the dough to become warm). Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and make an indentation in each one. A kid could do this with his thumb or you could use the back of the small end of a melon-baller (I keep that gadget on hand for easily removing the core of a halved apple and recommend it for that too!).
Use the same melon-baller or a small spoon to drop a bit of marmalade (or jam, or lemon curd) in each cookie.
Bake for 10-13 minutes (this depends on how dark your cookie sheet is, whether you used parchment, and how hot your oven runs, it actually took mine 14 minutes) until the dough is set and the bottoms are slightly browned.
Carefully transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. They will store in a tin! And they are rich, so this batch makes a good amount, but of course, you can easily double the recipe!
Gardening Corner
My seed bench is full of goodies (lots of tomatoes, and this year my peppers sprouted well, courtesy of a new heat mat). I was at Tractor Supply (not an ad) for potting mix and couldn't resist this pretty plant for the perennial garden (random pic swiped off the internet since I failed to take a “before”):
Since one can really go broke buying perennials this way, I justified this expense by cutting off the flowers and dividing the plant — and even putting a few slips into a pot in the seed bench to see what happens with this Saxifraga Alpino Rockfoil. I'm not very green in the thumb, but the “alpino” aspect of this specimen seems to suggest a certain hardiness, do you not think?
There you can get a glimpse of my other winter sowing pots! Doing pretty well over all!
We'll see if these little ones grow some roots!
Quilting Corner
We'll be going to visit Suzanne soon — baby time, yay! — and I am really hoping to have this quilt done!
I think I'm on track. It's always hard to tell when the project is a big, immobilizing blanket!
Auntie Leila Says Corner
Last week I talked about the way simply deciding you'll take responsibility for something makes that job easier to face — in this case, meal planning, even if you aren't particularly wonderful at it/don't like it. The conversation in the comments went around to the undeniably thwarting issue of complaining and so on.
I have actually posted so much about this, not to mention whole sections in The Summa Domestica, so let me just say here that another mind shift must be undertaken, one that goes hand in hand with taking responsibility.
And that is the way attitudes change when parents shift their focus away from seeking affirmation from children. I don't mean this in any sort of mean, unnecessarily authoritarian way, though authority is a big part of it. I simply mean that when you demonstrate your alpha status and exude confidence that even if things are not exactly as the pack would wish, everything will be okay, a lot of the issues disappear.
This is true in prayer and worship (also topics covered extensively here) and in matters of dining. If we were to look at the family from way, far away, sort of squinting our eyes, a good peaceful picture we'd see would be the father providing and the mother dispensing. They are making their household together. The children rise up in the household and take their place in due time. This picture is orderly and has a hierarchy.
If the mother is narrowly focussed on getting the kids to pray or to eat, she will shift that view — skew it out of balance. And the peace will be gone. They will pray and eat much more readily if husband and wife put things into place priority-wise and let the chips fall where they may. And good bread and butter will ensure no one expires from hunger.
A secret:
If you plan your menus at first in a rhythm and pattern, you'll be pleased with how the children respond.
Begin with Sunday, the most important day of the week, the day of worship, rest, and celebration (of the gift of being, not necessarily a party! an attitude rather than an agenda). Plan a nice meal for that day.
Move on to Friday. Fridays need to be meatless (for us Catholics, with rare exceptions; but why not?). Pizza Friday or Fish Taco Friday or Tuna Melt Friday soon become family favorites.
Make one day the pasta with meat sauce day (and this can be varied — spaghetti, lasagna, Egyptian lasagna, stuffed shells, etc).
Make one day soup and sandwich/bread/cheese night (using leftovers from Sunday's meal — can be a different Sunday thanks to the freezer).
Make one day chicken, one day pork/sausage…
… and one day “bits & pieces”. This post is by Deirdre and explains how she came to name our round-up of links this way! It's based on our Saturday suppers when the kids were growing up!
There you go! A week's rotation. If you keep Chicken Day to Chicken Day, the children will come to expect it. You will say “it's Chicken Day” and they will be silenced. They will accept it. And soon (after 10 weeks, I'll guess), they will begin to appreciate it. Try “Chicken Lightly Seasoned” and see if I'm right, but don't look for any approbation or affirmation. Don't show weakness — they will pounce.
Another secret:
Naming things really gives you a surprise factor few kids can resist. I have witnessed children eat something called “Cowboy Beans” that they would have scorned if called “Vegetarian Beans” — not for any political reason but due to boredom. I myself cannot resist anything in the cowboy or hobo category. Chuckwagon stew > stew.
When I serve butternut squash soup, we call it “Toxic Waste” (too much? that's how we roll! it's what it looks like!). What child can resist that?
Polish Dinner of the Gods > kielbasa with sauerkraut (have I shared that recipe?)
And so on!
On Facebook I have a post with all my favorite movies. Denise Trull writes beautifully about the quiet witness to faith of the French film Au Revoir les Enfants and reminds me to add it to my list! I love the soundtrack as well. (I will see if I can make the list into a post!)
Speaking of baking, I have been enjoying making these scones. I tried adding an egg, because to me scones should have egg, but actually they are better as written, without!
A hilarious list from an ancient pope: 10 Reasons Men Should Not Marry. But also maybe a good examination of conscience for us women? And maybe we could write one from a woman's point of view, also pretty funny?
I often reference the book by Joseph Colapinto called As Nature Made Him (affiliate link), about the abuse and fraud of Dr. John Money, diabolical “father” of the transgender movement (also, by the by, a warning of the dangers of modern, non-ritual circumcision, rarely talked about). Here is a shortish article, David Reimer and John Money Gender Reassignment Controversy: The John/Joan Case, if you aren't up for reading the book.
from the archives
Sibling rivalry and how to quell it (but it will always be there to some extent)
Being hospitable to your kids' friends
liturgical living
follow us everywhere! share us with your friends!
Here is my affiliate link to my Amazon page — the only affiliate thing that goes on here on LMLD, which is why the page loads quickly and you don’t have to keep closing pop-ups etc! Thank you for opening it and shopping if you are so minded — as some have asked me. If not, don’t worry one bit!
My book, The Summa Domestica: Order and Wonder in Family Life is available from Sophia Press! Also in paperback now! All the thoughts from this blog collected into three volumes, beautifully presented with illustrations from Deirdre, an index in each volume, and ribbons!
My “random thoughts no pictures” blog, Happy Despite Them has moved over to Substack! — receive it by email if you like, or bookmark, so you don’t miss a thing! The old one is still up if you want to look at the comments on past posts. It will take me a while to get things organized, but you'll be patient, I know!
My podcast, The Home Truths Society, can be found on the Restoration of Christian Culture website (and you can find it where you listen to such things) — be sure to check out the other offerings there!
Stay abreast of the posts here at LMLD, when they happen:
Consider subscribing to this blog by email. We would love to pop into your inbox! The subscription box is on this page on the sidebar!
We share pretty pictures: Auntie Leila’s Instagram, Rosie’s Instagram, Deirdre’s Instagram. Bridget’s Instagram.
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow)
The boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest
The post Poking around in some corners: baking, making, kitchen; and links! appeared first on Like Mother, Like Daughter.
April 20, 2024
“Having to decide what’s for dinner forever”; Korean Beef Bowl, Gardening Corner; Links!
We are still waiting for spring and the cold rain to stop, but the Easter season has its own hopeful relaxation, doesn't it?
If you want the recipe for a quick and easy supper, Korean Beef Bowl, I have it down below, but here's the PDF (sorry that I don't have that swanky “jump to recipe” feature here!).
There is something I thought of to tell you about making supper…
So sometimes a little humor goes a long way, and there's no doubt that putting the meals on the table can seem very overwhelming and burdensome!
Lately I've noticed this thought going around in various forms:
Very funny! Much haha!
But —
Sometimes the sheer barrage of the same message everywhere we turn can convince us that we hate doing something.
Yet if we had a bit of competence and confidence about that very thing, it would be just fine.
And what's the good of running away from the very thing we actually have to do?
The norm really needs to be that the mother is in charge of making the meals. The more children you have, the more true this will be (but then they get older and help… so hang in there!), if only because the father is so busy earning the living funding the bliss that he doesn't have the mental energy to figure it out. He actually needs someone to take this task off his hands so he can concentrate.
The secret to escaping the dread of “getting married is having to come up with meals every day for the rest of my life” is this:
Decide you will be in charge of it.
The problem with that meme, above, is the implication that there is some sort of collaboration, partnership, or let's be honest, putting the responsibility on the other person.
Once you make up your mind that you, the mother, need to figure it out in the same way you'd figure out how to solve any other recurring issue in your life, and that you and only you will decide, it's no longer a burden.
Share this equally? Your husband loves to cook? You don't want to?
Obviously, you're free to allow for family style and actual practice! Do what you like! If your husband just loves working hard all day so you can all live on one income and having to figure out what's for dinner, then go for it. Don't be surprised, though, if your budget gets a hit from ordering out and eating out. And don't mind the extra stress that comes from all this spur-of-the-moment decision-making, stress that could very well be eliminated if you simply planned ahead.
But if the meme I led with here expresses some deep dread in your heart because at your house every meal is an exercise in no one wanting to decide combined with everyone giving way to caprice that somehow you are, nevertheless, responsible for fulfilling, it's time to change!
Listen, I'm just telling you! If you have it worked out, great! Otherwise, I'm here to let you in on how to do it: just decide you will!
Don't worry, though. My system (developed over many years and super tried-and-true) is about menu planning and knowing what is for dinner (and the other meals too) at least a week in advance.
It takes into account all the factors “they” (and you know who “they” are!) might not be thinking about when they start brainstorming supper with you, like practices and meetings and using up bits of leftovers and not having the budget for certain things just at the moment. Sometimes you have to eat out by the sap boiling fire…
My system gets them to tell you what they like from the get-go and leaves lots of flexibility. If perchance a family member were to mention a preference, you could work it in, with gratitude. But you're not relying on their inspiration on a daily basis.
So yes, this is the paradigm shift: you are in charge.
They have input, they can make suggestions to be implemented later, but the necessary “social contract” for the meals to happen on a regular basis is that one person decides and the others accept! (It's not like they aren't going to give you feedback!)
Go here for how to plan menus that are your family's preferences, not mine and not some random person's out there who has no idea that you have a strict budget to cleave to and other things to do.
Go here to learn how to shop.
Go here to learn how to make things from scratch but also not spend all day in the kitchen.
Go here for an Ask Auntie Leila about all this.
Above all, just decide you'll be in charge — you will plan the menus with due consideration for everyone's likes and dislikes but also with the liberating realism that recognizes that not every meal is everyone's favorite and there are priorities such as getting it made and on the table. (Personally, I love when they suggest ways of improving or similar things they'd love to have. Once you teach them to say things politely, such conversation can be fun.) If Dad loves making tacos once a week, yay! If a kid has a favorite dish he is up for making every Saturday, wonderful! Schedule it in.
I admit that even the best-organized housewife (and I am not she) will sometimes say, “Gosh, what should we have for dinner!” Let's just not make it a daily thing!
By the way, I put all this in a super organized form in Volume 3 of The Summa Domestica! Get your copy and give one to a new bride or struggling mom!
Here's something we had the other night that was really tasty and super quick to prepare: Korean Beef Bowl. I think everyone would love it in the rotation and you could make it in bulk and freeze a big portion of it for just that kind of moment when you cannot think of what to have, suddenly have more or fewer people than you thought you would, something didn't defrost in time, or what have you. Happens to everyone.
I'm all about stashing away the makings for quick suppers — I wouldn't freeze the meal, but I would freeze the meat part and in the time you make a pot of rice and chop the green onions, it will be defrosted in the microwave or in a big bowl of water (in its ziploc bag).
Korean Beef (or Pork or Shrimp) Bowl (printable PDF here)
For 4 — multiply for your large family
In a small bowl, mix:
1/3 c. brown sugar or honey or a mixture
1/4 c. tamari or soy sauce
2 T sesame seeds
2 T. sesame oil
the tiniest amount of red pepper flakes if you are a wimp like me, or 1/4 tsp or more if not
In a wide skillet, fry up:
2 lbs. ground beef, ground pork, or a mixture, lightly salted, until browned and the liquid is almost evaporated, siphoning off most of the fat
Add:
4 cloves of garlic, chopped,
2 T of fresh ginger, chopped, stirring until just cooked
Turn off the heat. Pour in the sauce and stir. Adjust the seasonings.
Serve over rice with a sprinkling of finely sliced green onions on top.
Serve with roasted, steamed, or boiled broccoli or green beans. Asparagus would be nice too.
If you make it with shrimp, just gently, gently sauté the shrimp in a small amount of peanut or avocado oil (you could also use pre-cooked shrimp and just warm it up) before tossing with the sauce.
Gardening Corner
My secondary vintage sink side of the kitchen is very useful for planting seeds. Because it's a self-contained unit, it's so easy to clean up!
I have my seed bench set up in the pantry, and the tomatoes and peppers are popping. I had to put these Scabiosa seeds in the freezer for a bit and then “scarify” them so that hopefully they will sprout — I'm looking forward to these fun flowers!
Doing the actual planting was efficient over at my vintage sink, as outside is too cold and wet and my main sink has other things going on in it. Anyway, this is a luxury I'm really appreciating right now — two sinks!
bits & piecesFrom my husband: What is truth? A journalist asks Pilate’s question
A post about how the board of health in my town deals with an “outbreak” of chicken pox, and how illogical it is, on my Substack — please subscribe!
It may be politically expedient to make “exceptions” about abortion in order to get broad protections in place. But let's never lose sight of the facts. One fact: abortion — the direct killing of the unborn child — is never necessary to save the life of the mother. This former abortionist gives his testimony.
“In cases where a mother’s life is seriously threatened by her pregnancy, a doctor more often than not doesn’t have 36 hours, much less 72 hours, to resolve the problem. Let me illustrate with a real -life case that I managed while at the Albany Medical Center. A patient arrived one night at 28 weeks gestation with severe pre-eclampsia or toxemia.”
There are some new colleges popping up with the excellent notion of offering a liberal arts education combined with some sort of trade licensing. I haven't been able to pass any along yet because I have nothing to go on! I would be very happy to know if you have any connection with any such institutions. A friend's son is going to attend this newly formed institute, so I thought I'd mention it here — they are offering appealing incentives! It's called Catholic Tech. From their website:
An American university located in the scenic Alban Hills of Castel Gandolfo, CatholicTech is a leading institution for scientific research and technical education. As a community of saints, scholars, and scientists, we are uniquely positioned to serve the Church and society.
Our curriculum integrates the rigors of technical education with a moral and spiritual formation in the Catholic faith. This education enables our graduates to emerge as impactful leaders, capable of scientific research and innovation that is fully aligned with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Interesting architectural history — “temporary” housing for weavers becomes a high-end status symbol of today. Makes you think! Built History: how the Huguenots shaped Spitalfields and London’s vibrant East End
from the archivesHow to set the family (as opposed to company) table
Ask Auntie Leila: 5 steps to feeling pretty after having the baby
This one is from Suki, from back in the day! It grieves me to see today's young mothers feeling awkward about nursing their babies. Suki offers some good advice!
follow us everywhere! share us with your friends!
Here is my affiliate link to my Amazon page — the only affiliate thing that goes on here on LMLD, which is why the page loads quickly and you don’t have to keep closing pop-ups etc! Thank you for opening it and shopping if you are so minded — as some have asked me. If not, don’t worry one bit!
My book, The Summa Domestica: Order and Wonder in Family Life is available from Sophia Press! Also in paperback now! All the thoughts from this blog collected into three volumes, beautifully presented with illustrations from Deirdre, an index in each volume, and ribbons!
My “random thoughts no pictures” blog, Happy Despite Them has moved over to Substack! — receive it by email if you like, or bookmark, so you don’t miss a thing! The old one is still up if you want to look at the comments on past posts. It will take me a while to get things organized, but you'll be patient, I know!
My podcast, The Home Truths Society, can be found on the Restoration of Christian Culture website (and you can find it where you listen to such things) — be sure to check out the other offerings there!
Stay abreast of the posts here at LMLD, when they happen:
Consider subscribing to this blog by email. We would love to pop into your inbox! The subscription box is on this page on the sidebar!
We share pretty pictures: Auntie Leila’s Instagram, Rosie’s Instagram, Deirdre’s Instagram. Bridget’s Instagram.
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow)
The boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest
The post “Having to decide what’s for dinner forever”; Korean Beef Bowl, Gardening Corner; Links! appeared first on Like Mother, Like Daughter.
April 13, 2024
Windows and doors, and links!
I had the chance to renovate my kitchen and put in good, solid materials after a complete gut. I tried to source as many things as I could as cost-effectively as possible. You can go back to previous posts (click on the “kitchen reno” tag — I think I have tagged everything that way) to get into the nitty-gritty of specific elements including where I saved some bucks; I figure it's helpful to people with my same mentality of Use Up Wear Out Make Do Do Without (but also, get good things if you have to start from scratch). Sometimes we just don't know what the good things are.
I did my best to figure it all out and I'm here to share the knowledge with the collective memory!
Let's talk about windows and doors. I tried very hard to find used items in this department and only succeeded with one (see below).
The truth is, doors and windows are likely not going to be a standard and very particular size, especially in an old house. I mean, the contractor can make the window opening to a standard size as far as the window manufacturer's offerings go — it would be extremely pricey to get a truly custom-sized window, and not at all necessary when everything is being built rather than retro-fitted.
But finding the size you need from among the offerings on the second-hand market turned out not to be feasible for me. Either the things were not the right size or they were not good quality. So this is a place in the budget where we had to accept spending the money for solid, quality items.
These are all Marvin windows and doors (other than the interior door). They are as close to “true lights” (divided panes) as you can get and still have modern energy-efficient windows. If you can renovate truly old windows, absolutely do that. It's not actually cost-effective to replace them. The windows we had were already replacements, and they were not right for the space.
I really wanted a big window over my kitchen sink.
BEFORE – the small window over the sink just looks rather … not in proportion, outside (it's to the right of the porch on the first floor):
AFTER:
(The roof needs re-doing and the front needs repainting, but you get the idea already!)
BEFORE inside:
AFTER inside (you can see the ceiling got raised quite a bit!):
As you come in from the mudroom, I thought it would be more open feeling, and less dark to have a French door (with divided lights as they call them, or panes of glass).
This is the door I was able to find on Facebook Marketplace. It has tempered glass, which we thought was a good idea, given the number of children running through here, and my own clumsiness. A similar door would cost upwards of $1000. I got it for $125, brand new:
I got the brass doorknob and two others for about $1 each on Facebook Marketplace (new they go for about $20 each).
Here is French door from inside the kitchen …
BEFORE — that is the original, solid door and it is good quality:
AFTER:
It makes it so that I can see who comes in — I have a sightline now right into the mudroom. It makes the little entry area right inside the door more open and airy. This is what Christopher Alexander calls a pattern — to be able to see from one room to the next (but not have everything be totally open), to give a sense of connection and settlement.
The other day I opened the window above the sink, due to Spring making an appearance! The windows are all casement windows, which I love.
This was my inspiration photo for this window and especially this corner, saved on my Pinterest:
I hope to someday find a vintage dish rack of some kind for the wall of the fridge.
I really encourage you to keep Pinterest boards, well organized, for what inspires you, even if it's just a photo of something that produces a certain feeling. You can see I didn't need to replicate the photo exactly to get the feeling I wanted. Here is my Pinterest — look at my kitchen inspiration board to see how minutely I organized it.
On the other side of the room, here is the window above the vintage sink:
And here is the sliding door to the right of it, on the same wall:
I considered a real French door here, but it was not going to be able to open inwards, due to the traffic pattern, and it's not a reasonable idea at all to have it open outwards here in New England, not to mention in this corner of the house where snow and ice can really pile up if we are not careful. So a slider it is. I made the decision to have it a couple of inches taller (but no wider) than before, and I think that makes a big difference, actually, without costing much more (about $100 more). People do seem to sell sliding doors second-hand, but my contractor frowned on cutting corners here. The door has to remain square and be solid — this one gets a lot of use for most of three seasons.
A big part of why things look a lot better is the trim — and this is true all around. Hefty trim goes a long way to making things look solid and high quality.
What do you think? I think I mentioned at some point that I came across an article about “mistakes people make when renovating their kitchens” and one of them was getting windows that are too large, because then you don't have room for cabinets and storage. “Well, I guess I made that mistake!” thought I! However, I am content. Before, there was a shortage of light in this room. Now it feels light and airy, and I still have plenty of storage!
bits & pieces
Music fun! Four Obscure Instruments You've Never Heard Of (But Will Love to Listen To)
Really yummy Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake that I would simply call cake!
How to Build a Screech-Owl Nest Box
Poetry at Home — try it!
from the archives
Need a good book to read? Follow along my book club posts about Joseph Ratzinger's Spirit of the Liturgy. They start here.
Now is a good time to figure out how to have a reasonably clean house, since outdoor activities make it hard to spend too much time on housekeeping!
liturgical living
follow us everywhere! share us with your friends!
Here is my affiliate link to my Amazon page — the only affiliate thing that goes on here on LMLD, which is why the page loads quickly and you don’t have to keep closing pop-ups etc! Thank you for opening it and shopping if you are so minded. If not, don’t worry one bit!
My book, The Summa Domestica: Order and Wonder in Family Life is available from Sophia Press! Also in paperback now! All the thoughts from this blog collected into three volumes, beautifully presented with illustrations from Deirdre, an index in each volume, and ribbons!
My “random thoughts no pictures” blog, Happy Despite Them has moved over to Substack! — receive it by email if you like, or bookmark, so you don’t miss a thing! The old one is still up if you want to look at the comments on past posts. It will take me a while to get things organized, but you'll be patient, I know!
My podcast, The Home Truths Society, can be found on the Restoration of Christian Culture website (and you can find it where you listen to such things) — be sure to check out the other offerings there!
Stay abreast of the posts here at LMLD, when they happen:
Consider subscribing to this blog by email. We would love to pop into your inbox! The subscription box is on this page on the sidebar!
We share pretty pictures: Auntie Leila’s Instagram, Rosie’s Instagram, Deirdre’s Instagram. Bridget’s Instagram.
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow)
The boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest
The post Windows and doors, and links! appeared first on Like Mother, Like Daughter.
April 6, 2024
Kitchen reno: dishwasher and built-in fridge! And links!
Appliance talk is not always the most interesting, but I know a lot of you are making these decisions too, or may be in the future.
I'll also show you some pretty things, as I have been forcing myself to hang things on walls, not my strong point, but so important for making things homey.
We finally got a clock. It's remarkable how many clocks out there are stupid. You know what a clock needs to have? Readability at a glance. Just a thought…
This clock (affiliate link) had to go right here because for 23 years there was a microwave (in the niche created in the stack of bricks that we took down 18 months ago), the clock of which was consulted by both of us about fifteen hundred times a day.
We both have some sort of “phantom limb syndrome,” but for that clock. We caught ourselves and each other checking the time by looking over there constantly, and we kept saying, “We just need to put a clock there.”
I finally did!
So if you've been keeping up, you know that here in our 1860s house we have a kitchen with so many pathways, so many doors, windows, radiator, back stairs, pantry, and fireplace. There is literally nowhere for a fridge. I spent 23 years trying to figure it out, and finally I realized I needed a built-in counter-depth fridge. Well, it needed to be counter depth. The built-in (panel-ready) aspect was something that made it all fit in. I was all ready to try to get a white fridge but the truth is, this splurge of the panels to hide it was worth it.
Many people who come in here have no idea this is the fridge at all! I'm firmly in the camp of regarding the fridge, dishwasher, and range hood as not aesthetic and best hidden if possible. I know some people try to make a feature of them but I don't see it.
The fridge I chose is the Fisher-Paykel 36″ counter depth one (affiliate link). It has an ice maker but no dispenser. That's fine because I have my old fridge with its dispenser in the pantry, and that's just a few steps away. The ice maker works very well.
The interior is well designed. Yes, you give up a lot of space with a counter-depth fridge, but more than many other ones of this size. And the organization of it is great. I can see everything and the drawers and shelves are well made — they feel high quality and solid. Again, the fridge in the pantry (which beats having it in the garage as I did for all those years, let me tell you!) adds a good amount of fairly handy storage, so I'm good with the overall cubic feet of refrigeration (and inside freezer space) I have now.
This photo makes it look like not much can go in there, but actually it's quite spacious. I have been very happy with the amount of food it holds!
The nearest competitors for this category of appliance are quite a bit more expensive and the reviews aren't wonderful. A reader with many kids at home told me her experience with this one, the Fisher-Paykel, has been very good and she was afraid it would be too small but it's fine, so that helped me decide. I did buy the extended warranty for it (something I don't usually do, but thought would be prudent in this situation).
Other fridges people usually get — non-panel-ready, regular sized — are actually more expensive and have terrible reviews. I think the two areas of terribleness are wifi enabling (why??) and ice maker woes. So I felt this was a good option even though it seems so luxurious. (You can also get it as a regular counter depth fridge, not paneled, and because of the way the doors are hinged, it will fit into your run of cabinets very nicely.)
One issue with panel readiness is the necessity of getting handles!
Turns out these are quite expensive! Oy! Who knew!
These are the Rejuvenation unlacquered brass pulls that retail for $138 each for the 12″ size. You do need an appliance pull because you will be yanking on this all the time. There is a sort of suction in the doors that makes for a good hard yank to get them open. The pulls have to be heavy-duty.
The 12″ is a nice size. I feel 18″ would be too much for this situation. Which is good, because those retail for $189!! Not to mention shipping.
I was determined I was not going to pay that: $450 for the handles?? First I went into all the rabbit holes about hacking pulls out of something else (DIY bars, towel bars, who knows). I searched all the brands and sites (and you can certainly pay more).
Finally, I did a specific search on Facebook Marketplace for these particular Massey pulls and luckily found someone who had ordered too many and had had a listing up for 17 weeks! So I felt confident in making an offer. I think she was asking $50 each (still a bargain). We settled on $125 for all three with shipping included. Done and done!
So my recommendation is, if you think this built-in idea is for you down the road, start hunting for the pulls now. You'd be surprised what people have lurking in their remnant piles after their renovations!
So far the fridge has been performing great, I love the organization of it, and I am super happy with how it fits into my kitchen and just… disappears!
Prettiness break:
On to the dishwasher:
All my friends had insisted that I get a Bosch.
Knowing I would be paying retail for the range and the fridge*, I went on FBMP and found this Bosch 500 (which sells at the store for around $1100) for $200. (I have seen them out there for anywhere from $100 to $500 and that's the way to go, in my opinion!)
I knew it would work fine when I went to pick it up and the people's garage was nicer than most kitchens! Complete with cabinets, sink, and super clean floor! The dishwasher was pristine. I honestly doubt they really ever used it at all!
When you are buying appliances, you need to look at reviews. But sometimes you have to read between the lines. I was a little trepidatious due to the number of people saying the controls don't work, but I also trusted my friends (and Deirdre too, whose appliance repairman had told her to get one).
Now that I've used it, I see that there is a sequence you have to follow if you want to change away from the “auto” setting. My analysis is that most people leaving bad reviews haven't wrapped their minds around it. It's not completely intuitive, but once you get it, it is all good. It cleans dishes like a dream. You only have to scrape them (just to keep the filter from clogging). It's amazingly quiet. Super quiet!
And in theory it will also get its panel, which is safely out there in the garage and just waiting for the contractor to come figure it out. From what I have seen with the DIYers out there, as long as the controls are in the interior, you'll be good to add a panel. And I have another Massey appliance pull all ready to put on it!
*by the way, in my area there was someone selling this fridge, almost new, for about a thousand dollars off the retail price. I went back and forth about this. But it's extremely heavy (much much more than a regular fridge) and requires professional movers, which would end up costing around $500, or a big favor from multiple strong friends. I did ask the guy if he'd sell it for half off and he didn't even answer me. In the end, due to the delicacy of the machinery and the heaviness of it, I think I made the right choice to buy it new with its warranty plus an extended one.
bits & pieces
Eclipse glasses are necessary (and the library may have some for you; that's where I got mine)
The Supreme Court heard arguments about the abortion pill — I assume a ruling is soon, and it may not be one that accords with justice. Like all these things, the pill is offered as a magic wand to wave away all the ills of everyone. It also makes the company that produces it very rich. A good article delving into what it really is: The Case Against the Abortion Pill by Rachel Roth Aldhizer. The beginning will move you and helps us all use our imaginations when we consider what sending women (and especially girls) off to abort their babies on their own really means. Maybe it will be legal, but we have to be ready with all the reasons why it's just terrible.
I'm afraid it might be entering into our catalog of accepted truisms to think that we are using medical products all the time that use aborted fetal cell tissue, and so we might as well not cavil at its use in vaccines. While it's true that the industry is geared now to exploiting the evil gains of abortion, it is not the case that common treatments rely on them. Not so fast. The Very Misleading Article By a Priest on Drugs And Abortion Testing. (Since the priest whose work is being criticized here, Fr. Matthew Schneider LC, happens to have a social media presence in which he often discusses things in fairly traditional and conservative terms, people might be misled into trusting him on these matters — but he is actually as wrong as he is influential and needs to be opposed.)
I love this video of the giant fort this lady's children built using pallets and other found objects. She's obviously chronicling it for her family's archive, so you don't have to watch every minute of it, but it's a good reminder of how just fine it is to let kids do things even if the curb appeal of the house might suffer! (I mean this is what she says herself about it. It's pretty awesome!)
Knitters! Do you suffer from not knowing how much yarn to allow for a long-tail cast on? Here is a calculator that I came across, that our Suki says works! It's from this site and this lady should get a medal!
I often post about how everyone needs to agree not to give kids devices at all (but if you can't get anyone to agree, still keep them out of your young'uns' hands). But in order to do this, we all need better things to do with our leisure time, and that can often seem hard to figure out. I thought this article has a lot of good ideas. She gives a list! It's things we've talked about a lot here, but it's nice to have a list!
from the archives
Nine hospitality thoughts — now that Lent is over and we are in the season of rejoicing, let's have some friends over!
That time the lockdown inspired me to write to you about how needed the mother is in the home
liturgical living
I hope you had a wonderful Easter Sunday! We certainly did!
Today is very much still Easter! Saturday Within the Octave of Easter
follow us everywhere! share us with your friends!
Here is my affiliate link to my Amazon page — the only affiliate thing that goes on here on LMLD, which is why the page loads quickly and you don’t have to keep closing pop-ups etc! Thank you for opening it and shopping if you are so minded. If not, don’t worry one bit!
My book, The Summa Domestica: Order and Wonder in Family Life is available from Sophia Press! Also in paperback now! All the thoughts from this blog collected into three volumes, beautifully presented with illustrations from Deirdre, an index in each volume, and ribbons!
My “random thoughts no pictures” blog, Happy Despite Them has moved over to Substack! — receive it by email if you like, or bookmark, so you don’t miss a thing! The old one is still up if you want to look at the comments on past posts. It will take me a while to get things organized, but you'll be patient, I know!
My podcast, The Home Truths Society, can be found on the Restoration of Christian Culture website (and you can find it where you listen to such things) — be sure to check out the other offerings there!
Stay abreast of the posts here at LMLD, when they happen:
Consider subscribing to this blog by email. We would love to pop into your inbox! The subscription box is on this page on the sidebar!
We share pretty pictures: Auntie Leila’s Instagram, Rosie’s Instagram, Deirdre’s Instagram. Bridget’s Instagram.
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow)
The boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest
The post Kitchen reno: dishwasher and built-in fridge! And links! appeared first on Like Mother, Like Daughter.
April 1, 2024
Help me choose!
A blessed Easter to you all! Please help me choose something important!
I am having a hard time today because getting ready for Easter was hard, and now my photos aren't loading! This is all I can get to put on here! I will try to add a family photo later if I can get it to load into the post.
I'm getting older and getting ready for a holiday is not easy. I used to have lots of kids around to help me tidy and clean and cook. Now I am doing it all myself and I'm just, well —
I'm ready to give up, honestly.
I need to do some self care.
I used to hate tattoos, but I really, really want one to express how I feel. Just a little one on my arm, you know — so when I do manage to bake a pretty loaf of bread or something, it will show up in my IG posts when I hold out what I've done. My arms are getting saggy and old-lady-ish and I just need a boost!
So help me choose??
I want it to say “BLESS THIS MESS” because y'all, I AM SO DONE WITH HOUSEWORK!
So should I get this one, A:
Or this one, B:
Or this one, C:
Tell me in the comments! I think I will go smaller than these but I NEED A TATTOO NOW!!
I will go tomorrow so don't delay!
And enjoy today — APRIL FOOL!!
Christ is Risen and I actually am full of joy! I hope you are too! MWAH!!
The post Help me choose! appeared first on Like Mother, Like Daughter.
March 23, 2024
Two sinks, and links!
This, above, is my main sink in my normal work area.
This, above, is my sink in the new work area across the room.
For an explanation of the layout/work areas and drawings of the floor plan and its changes, go to this post!
Because I overthought everything, why not share the workings of my mind? You are fine with that, right? I mean, maybe you too have a large family and wish to prepare a lot of your own food. Maybe you like to be hospitable and have tight quarters, making multiple cooks bump elbows. Maybe some of my ideas will help!
Okay, here we go!
My main work area is tight. There are paths to and fro, hemming it in, and doorways preventing me from having long counters and in general a space where I can spread out. However, as I explained before in that post with the drawings, it just had to be this way.
But what if I added another area to work in? What if the problem isn't the small main work area (which after all, saves you steps and helps you be efficient — I have been in vast kitchens that wore me out by the time I did all the hiking necessary to get from stove to sink to fridge!). What if the problem is someone coming in with a salad and saying, “Do you mind if I get this ready here?” and then blocking what you need to do to get the dinner on the table?
What if the problem is coming in at 5:30 on a summer afternoon with an armload of beets and tomatoes, plunking them down right where supper needs to be prepped?
What if the problem is the morning dithering over tea and coffee prep, not to mention feeding the cat while someone is scrambling eggs?
So I thought a sink over out of the way would be useful in my busy kitchen. Not everyone uses their kitchen to the extent we do. I have noticed this and I share all this in case you do too but are puzzled or flummoxed by the choices presented to you. Some people really do order out and eat out most of the time. We do not! A lifetime in the kitchen has made me realize I have to do things a bit differently.
Okay, the main sink first:
My criteria for this sink:
Stainless steel. I love other materials but I'm a real clutz. I feel SS is forgiving. I just don't want to be breaking glasses all the time. I also love how it cleans up.
Double bowls. Hear me out! If I'm opening up a chicken and you come in to wash the broccoli, I don't want chicken juices in the broccoli! And I don't want soap spraying over my chicken when you wash your hands. If I'm washing dishes by hand, I want to be able to fill one bowl with soapy water and the other with dishes to spray off while rinsing. I have always had two bowls and I love them.
Okay, granted, one big basin means you can wash your biggest pan out. True, if the sink isn't full of dishes! This way, I can wash a big pan in one bowl and have dishes stacked in the other.
Once I realized it existed, I wanted a low divide. Basically, this means we can have it both ways!
A sink that is easily washed out: that drains water and debris down towards the drain. My old SS sink with its sloped sides drained perfectly towards the drains, making it easy to clean out. I appreciated it so much after using others' fancy ironstone or enamel sinks, including my own mudroom utility sink. Well, I give this one about a C on that front. In theory, its bottom is stamped out to funnel water towards the drains (which, to give it its due, are set back rather than centered, which makes it so a big pot doesn't block a drain set in the center). In practice, it's not easy to get the water to move towards the drain — it's rather flat. This sort of drives me crazy, but at least it does eventually get there.
Large radius edges and shallowness. The pro of near-zero radius (the sink is like a box with sharp corners — this one has a minuscule radius or folded edge) is more room — if there is a generous curve, it's easier to clean, but less room the further down you go. Having near-zero radius means the bowl is capacious. The pro of a deep one is… it's deep — I can fit so much in there that a whole dinner's worth of dishes sort of disappear without me actually doing them.
I guess I was stuck in the last century and just didn't realize this about new sinks. All I could imagine was the con: fatigue as I, a short person, bent over to do my dishes.
But these days an undermount sink (which I wanted for ease of cleaning the counter) is just going to be deep. I didn't anticipate the racks inside of it raising the working height an inch or so. So I'm okay with the depth after all, all things considered.
The low-radius issue is a definite habit-changer for me. I have to work harder to clean the sink out — really clean it. However, I appreciate the extra room. So it's a wash (pardon the pun!).
At the end of the day, the sink that had all the criteria I wanted and was in the front-to-back depth I needed (19″ vs. 22″) was similar to this one (I think they change the name of the “company” because this has a different name from mine, but is the same number). This is NOT an affiliate link. I just thought you'd like to know.
By the way, it was also significantly less (like 1/3 the price) of other high-end sorts of sinks. I paid $340. This is a similar one on Amazon at an even better price (this is an affiliate link!).
On the other side of the kitchen, I have my vintage cast iron enamel sink. I don't know — I really wanted one! I looked high and low — and actually, not far from me is a guy who has a vast yard full of such things, but he is asking top dollar. I found one on Facebook Marketplace for $150 in near-perfect condition. (The guy with the yard-full was selling the same thing for $700). Considering the price of sinks, I think this was the way to go! (I had no idea, truly! until I started this process! to me the sink is just a thing that's there, not something to spend two thousand dollars on!)
The one thing you need to know is — you can't fix enamel, not really, so choose a sink that has intact and good enamel on it. If it has a little chip on the side that's fine, but you don't want the work area to be all cracked up. You can clean up and bleach out a lot of issues, but the enamel needs to be in good condition.
The lady threw in a brand-new faucet, but it turned out not to be right — it stuck out too far. So after a long hunt, I found this one on Amazon (affiliate link):
If you need a wall mounted faucet for your utility sink (standard or larger depth), message me and I'll send the other one to you for the price of shipping.
This new one is excellent. Very high quality and I love the swivel action and sprayer. (I'll discuss the faucet of the other sink below.) And I love the brass drain there… I have a stainless steel mesh strainer I can pop in it, but the brass is so pretty.
What can I say about this sink? What would you like to know? It's just so charming and practical for all those ancillary activities I don't want happening over in my work area, don't you think?
Okay, a quick discussion about the faucet on the other sink.
I know the trend right now is for brass faucets that have that antique look and I get it. So fantastic! I was sort of drawn in, until I realized they go for almost $2000. Yes, you can get one made in India. But consider: in the US kitchen faucets have to meet very high standards for delivering contaminant-free water for drinking. Who knows what that cheap version from overseas does? We started using our Berkey because we had to get water from our utility sink with its utility faucet. I don't think it was very clean.
But most of all — I found out when I had the kind with the pull-down sprayer that I am a pull-down sprayer kind of person.
The efficiency of it is beyond anything. Even though the one I used to have I considered almost ugly, I quickly became quite attached to it and quite hampered by a dinky side sprayer (and those always end up breaking) not to mention if the faucet itself doesn't swivel, I can't even with that. I have even seen on the fancy British site a sink set up with two separate taps for hot and cold and can we not talk about it? There are limits to vintage!
So this is the one I got. You can find it here on Amazon (affiliate link), but I bought it on Ebay for half price, new. It's nickel, and it's actually desirable to mix metals — looks more natural that way, as if the kitchen evolved over time.
I am happy not to have a lot of holes in my counter. I think it looks vintage enough without sacrificing efficiency.
Sorry that I keep on showing you my dirty dishes!
So you know how the sprayer has two settings (not found on a side-sprayer by the way). The soft one you can set it to is great for rinsing lettuce and strawberries etc. The other, more concentrated one is great for washing things without using a lot of water, similar to how the dishwasher works with its high-pressure spray. You press the button and a stiff spray comes out, so you can rinse down a bowl with dough or batter in it without wasting water.
This spray function is not as serious as the one on my old, cheap, ugly Home Depot special one. But it's fine.
Okay, I think we've truly exhausted the topic.
Or have we.
Let me know in the comments, which I sincerely hope are functioning for you now! MWAH!
bits & piecesLoved this piano ragtime version of Wellerman (sea shanty) by Scott Bradlee — fun variations! It will just make you happy to listen! If your child plays piano, teach him how to do a walking bass!!
A very nice round-up of books for spring (for children too) from Denise Trull. I want to read the Oscar Wilde one.I made these scones and they were ridiculously easy and extremely good.
John Cuddeback: Ten Words to Transform Our Home Life
from the archivesServe a good breakfast
Try this little secret of mine to get your children to obey cheerfully, instead of “because I said so.”
A few motherly thoughts about Holy Thursday and Good Friday
How to approach Stations of the Cross with children
liturgical living
Saturday of the first week of Passiontide; a blessed Holy Week to you!
follow us everywhere! share us with your friends!
Here is my affiliate link to my Amazon page — the only affiliate thing that goes on here on LMLD, which is why the page loads quickly and you don’t have to keep closing pop-ups etc! Thank you for opening it and shopping if you are so minded. If not, don’t worry one bit!
My book, The Summa Domestica: Order and Wonder in Family Life is available from Sophia Press! Also in paperback now! All the thoughts from this blog collected into three volumes, beautifully presented with illustrations from Deirdre, an index in each volume, and ribbons!
My “random thoughts no pictures” blog, Happy Despite Them has moved over to Substack! — receive it by email if you like, or bookmark, so you don’t miss a thing! The old one is still up if you want to look at the comments on past posts. It will take me a while to get things organized, but you'll be patient, I know!
My podcast, The Home Truths Society, can be found on the Restoration of Christian Culture website (and you can find it where you listen to such things) — be sure to check out the other offerings there!
Stay abreast of the posts here at LMLD, when they happen:
Consider subscribing to this blog by email. We would love to pop into your inbox! The subscription box is on this page on the sidebar!
We share pretty pictures: Auntie Leila’s Instagram, Rosie’s Instagram, Deirdre’s Instagram. Bridget’s Instagram.
Auntie Leila’s Facebook (you can just follow)
The boards of the others: Rosie’s Pinterest. Sukie’s Pinterest. Deirdre’s Pinterest. Habou’s Pinterest
The post Two sinks, and links! appeared first on Like Mother, Like Daughter.
