Preparing for Winter and More

I have been on a roll lately. Not only did I change the bedding from summer to winter, but I also changed the duvet cover and accent pillows and replaced old pillows with new pillows. I washed and hung out to dry all of the sheets, blankets and a load of regular laundry on a very windy day. Everything dried in record time, but I had sheets and blankets wrapped around my head and body, so I had to recruit Number One Husband to help hang them up. I always get tickled as I try to find my way out when this happens.

I also organized the storage room and put away some summer clothes, hats and shoes to make room for cold weather items. I cleaned out my closet too. I still have to put my summer clothes into storage. (✔✔✓ All finished!) Now it's time to help Number One Husband get his closet all buttoned up. It looks like a nearby peak will get 21 inches of snow this weekend. We will get rain most likely, but late rains usually mean frozen pipes and septic systems. Ugh!

The blankets and sheets are now stored correctly according to seasons. Searching for stuff irritates me and is such a waste of time in my opinion. I lost our Dremel after we hung our blinds last fall. I still search for it whenever I am in the building where I (put it away) lost it.

I baked French bread, but we no longer want to use plastic bread bags to store our bread loaves in, so I searched online for alternatives to no avail. I needed an extra-large, preferably glass or ceramic, container with a lid. I temporarily stored the bread in two large Dutch ovens, but I had to rearrange my entire baking rack in order to use them.

I finally figured out that I actually had what I needed on hand after giving it some more thought. The reason I was not satisfied with what I found online was because replacing one toxin for another was not a solution.

I can easily store two large loaves of sandwich bread or
three loaves of French bread along with rolls or buns.

I organized and cleaned out the contents of my purse and I changed purses and wallets. This was my last chore for the evening that I accomplished before I crawled into bed for a good night's rest. I woke up cold around 5 am. I had taken off one of the blankets because it was still too warm inside the house. Big mistake. It was 30* outside and 57* inside. I wrapped up in my robe and crawled back into bed and slept in late. Aah! Just what I needed. 

We ran into town to fill up with gas for our upcoming trip to view the fall leaves in the high country. I also needed to use a raincheck for two 15-pound bags of potatoes for $5 bucks each that would expire before we go grocery shopping sometime next month. I was shocked to see rotten leaking bags of potatoes. I managed to dig out two bags that were not leaking and full of rotten potato stench. Two potatoes in the whole 30 pounds that I purchased just need to be washed where they had been damaged during the harvest. I separated them and I will use them first. I store our potatoes in a cardboard box in a dark cool closet. I do the same with onions. They will last for months using this method even longer during cooler months. 

I started buying produce from this super nice store because they have better quality fruits and vegetables for just pennies more. This is why I was so shocked. I've been hearing and seeing videos about grocery stores trying to sell rotten produce. The rest of the store's produce was just beautiful. Maybe the condition just got overlooked. I saved $9 on potatoes. They also had Honeycrisp apples for $1.27 a pound. I couldn't pass them up, so I grabbed a few for our trip. 

I was able to catch up with other household chores that needed attention that did not get done while we were sick. It's amazing how much better we feel. Our appetites are increasing along with our stamina. I didn't eat until 5 pm and Number One Husband only had a bowl of oatmeal until then. We have both lost around 10 pounds. There is much more to accomplish, but it will have to wait for another day. 

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith